Enhanced excited-state population and coherence via adiabatic tunneling ionization and excitation
Phys. Rev. A 113, 013125 – Published 28 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/4yn6-sxct
Abstract
Tunneling ionization followed by strong-field excitation leads to important ultrafast phenomena such as charge migration and lasing. Recent theoretical developments suggest that the population of the ionic excited state can be greatly enhanced due to the complex interplay between tunneling and excitation. In this work, using an adiabatic approach for both tunneling and excitation, semianalytical solutions are derived for the population and coherence of a two-level ionic system. This approach removes the strong-field dressing, revealing sub-half-cycle processes for excited-state population and coherence buildup. It predicts that the excited-state population is enhanced by an order of magnitude, independent of the laser wavelength, while coherence amplitude can be boosted by over four orders of magnitude for a multicycle pulse. For a single-cycle pulse, it suggests that coherence amplitude decreases rapidly as the wavelength increases. This work introduces a theoretical framework for generating and controlling the electronic excited state and coherence using intense laser pulses, with applications in strong-field control of chemistry and lasing.
