Nonsequential double ionization below laser-intensity threshold: Anticorrelation of electrons without excitation of parent ion

Abstract

Two-electron correlated spectra of nonsequential double ionization below laser-intensity threshold are known to exhibit back-to-back scattering of the electrons, i.e., the anticorrelation of the electrons. Currently, the widely accepted interpretation of the anticorrelation is recollision-induced excitation of the ion plus subsequent field ionization of the second electron. We argue that another mechanism, namely, simultaneous electron emission, when the time of return of the rescattered electron is equal to the time of liberation of the bounded electron (i.e., the ion has no time for excitation), can also explain the anticorrelation of the electrons in the deep, below laser-intensity threshold regime. Our conclusion is based on the results of the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for a model system of two one-dimensional electrons, as well as on an adiabatic analytic model that allows for a closed-form solution.