Kinematically complete measurements of strong field ionization with mid-IR pulses

Abstract

Recent observations of three unique peaks near 1 eV, 100 meV and 1 meV in the electron spectra generated by ionization using intense mid-IR pulses have challenged the current understanding of strong-field (SF) ionization. The results came as a surprise as they could not be reproduced by the standard version of the commonly used SF approximation. We present results showing the simultaneous measurement of all three low energy ranges at high resolution. This capability is possible due to a unique experimental combination of a high repetition rate mid-IR source, which allows probing deep in the quasi-static regime at high data rates, with a reaction microscope, which allows high resolution three dimensional imaging of the electron momentum distribution.