Detailed comparison of above-threshold-ionization spectra from accurate numerical integrations and high-resolution measurements

Abstract

Experimental photoelectron spectra, with high resolution in both kinetic energy and intensity, have been obtained and compared to a high-precision integration of the Schr\"odinger equation for photoelectron kinetic-energy yields in argon. We find exceptional quantitative agreement between data and calculation over a wide range of kinetic energies and peak laser intensities. In this paper we conclusively show that the single active electron model describes the physics of high-intensity photoionization to a high degree of accuracy. Furthermore, while multiple electrons may be ionized, multielectron effects appear to be completely absent from above-threshold-ionization photoelectron spectra.