Ionization in a laser-assisted ion-ion collision

The ionization of a hydrogenlike heavy ion by the impact of a charged projectile under simultaneous irradiation by a short laser pulse is investigated within the nonperturbative approach, based on numerical solutions of the time-dependent Dirac equation. Emphasis is placed on the question of whether the laser-and impact-ionization channels interfere with each other and how this interference affects the ionization probability. To answer this question we perform detailed calculations for the laser-assisted collisions between hydrogenlike Pb81+ and alpha particles. The results of the calculations clearly indicate that for the experimentally relevant set of (collision and laser) parameters, the interference contribution can reach 10% and can be easily controlled by varying the laser frequency.

Automated summary

The ionization of a hydrogenlike heavy ion by the impact of a charged projectile under simultaneous irradiation by a short laser pulse is studied using the nonperturbative approach. Numerical solutions of the time-dependent Dirac equation were used for detailed calculations, focusing on the interference between the laser-and impact-ionization channels and its effect on ionization probability. The results demonstrate that the interference contribution can reach 10% for experimentally relevant parameters and can be controlled by varying the laser frequency.