Abstract

The mutliphoton ionization rate of atoms in intense laser field is profoundly affected by the "dressing” of the states of the atom by the field. For example, the continuum threshold is known to be shifted upward by the ponderomotive potential. However, little has been done on the dressing of the initial (ground) state beyond lowest order perturbation theory. This is insufficient for intense lasers and this dressing is at least as important to the process as the shift mentioned above.

© 1986 Optical Society of America