Strong-Field Tunneling without Ionization

TLDR

In strong‑field ionization, a substantial fraction of atoms remain neutral in excited states after the laser pulse. The excited neutral yield’s dependence on laser ellipticity and the n = 6–10 state distribution, reproduced by both quantum‑mechanical and semiclassical calculations, confirm a rescattering mechanism underlying frustrated tunneling ionization. The excited neutral atom yield spans several orders of magnitude with laser intensity and aligns with the strong‑field tunneling‑plus‑rescattering model, establishing a previously unexplored neutral exit channel (frustrated tunneling ionization).

Abstract

In the tunneling regime of strong laser field ionization we measure a substantial fraction of neutral atoms surviving the laser pulse in excited states. The measured excited neutral atom yield extends over several orders of magnitude as a function of laser intensity. Our findings are compatible with the strong-field tunneling-plus-rescattering model, confirming the existence of a widely unexplored neutral exit channel (frustrated tunneling ionization). Strong experimental support for this mechanism as origin of excited neutral atoms stems from the dependence of the excited neutral yield on the laser ellipticity, which is as expected for a rescattering process. Theoretical support for the proposed mechanism comes from the agreement of the neutral excited state distribution centered at $n=6--10$ obtained from both, a full quantum mechanical and a semiclassical calculation, in agreement with the experimental results.