MOLECULES IN INTENSE LASER FIELDS - ENHANCED IONIZATION IN A ONE-DIMENSIONAL MODEL OF H-2

A one-dimensional model of H-2 is used lu examine the nonlinear behavi or of a pair of electrons in the presence oi intense laser fields and fixed nuclei. We present ionization rates of H-2 at different frequenc ies and intensities of short intense electromagnetic pulses by solving exactly the time-dependent Schrodinger equation for the above system as a function of internuclear distance. Anomalously high ionization ra tes are found at large critical internuclear separations, akin to simi lar results found previously in the one-electron molecule H-2(+). Inde pendent one-electron and simultaneous two-electron ionizations are ide ntified from the numerical simulations to occur at different intensiti es and frequencies. Field-induced barrier suppression models are shown to explain qualitatively the numerical results.