Abstract

The interact ion of atoms with intense laser light has been a rich area of research with many important discoveries[1]. One of these major findings has been high harmonic generation (HHG); in this process the strongly driven atomic system reradiates energy at odd multiples of the driving frequency. Using HHG it has been possible to generate very short wavelength light [2] with excellent coherence properties and many possible applications. A very efficient way of HHG occurs when the electron ionizes and then recollides with the nucleus releasing a maximal frequency of harmonics which corresponds to three times the ponderomotive energy plus the ionization energy [3].

© 1996 IEEE