Singularity in the electron-core potential as a gateway to accurate multielectron ionization spectra in strongly driven atoms

Abstract

We demonstrate a general three-dimensional semiclassical model as a powerful technique for the study of correlated multielectron escape in atoms driven by infrared laser pulses at intensities where electron-electron correlation prevails. We do so in the context of triple ionization of strongly driven Ne. Our model fully accounts for the singularity in the Coulomb potentials of a recolliding electron with the core and a bound electron with the core as well as for the interaction of a recolliding with a bound electron. To avoid artificial autoionization, our model employs effective potentials to treat the interaction between bound electrons. We show the accuracy of our model by obtaining triple ionization distributions of the sum of the final electron momenta which we find to be in very good agreement with experiments. Also, we explain the main features of these momenta distributions in terms of the prevalent pathways of correlated three-electron escape in Ne. We also show that the different ionization pathways prevailing in three-electron escape in strongly driven Ne versus Ar give rise to different momenta distributions in these two atoms. Our general model may be used to identify novel ultrafast phenomena and to motivate further experiments in strong field science.