S-matrix theory of high harmonic generation and ionization of coherently ro-vibrating linear molecules by intense ultrashort laser pulses

Neutral-ionic state correlations in strong-field molecular ionization

We study correlations between neutral and ionic states in strong-field molecular ionization. We compare predictions based on Dyson orbital norms and quasistatic semiclassical tunneling theories (Keldysh and molecular orbital Ammosov-Delone-Krainov) with more detailed calculations of strong-field ionization which take into account (i) the Coulomb interaction between the outgoing continuum electron wave packet and the remaining bound electrons and (ii) electron-core interactions that cause distortions of the electronic continuum states during the ionization event. Our results highlight the prominence of electronic rearrangement effects in strong-field ionization with intense ultrafast laser pulses, where the outgoing continuum electron can cause electronic transitions in the parent ion. Calculations and measurements for excited uracil molecules reveal the breakdown of Keldysh-weighted Dyson norm predictions for ionization to different states of the molecular cation in the strong-field regime.

Tunnel ionization of molecules and orbital imaging

We study whether tunnel ionization of aligned molecules can be used to map out the electronic structure of the ionizing orbitals. We show that the common view, which associates tunnel ionization rates with the electronic density profile of the ionizing orbital, is not always correct. Using the example of tunnel ionization from the CO(2) molecule, we show how and why the angular structure of the alignment-dependent ionization rate moves with increasing the strength of the electric field. These modifications reflect a general trend for molecules.