Creation and survival of autoionizing states in strong laser fields

Very sharp, low-energy structures observed in photoelectron spectra reveal the population of autoionizing states in krypton and argon in strong laser fields over a large range of different wavelengths. The energies of the electrons, emitted by autoionization in a field-free environment, provide direct information about the spectrum of states involved. Despite their ability to resist ionization by the populating laser pulse, we demonstrate the possibility to promote the excited electrons into the continuum by subsequent absorption of a single photon. Thus, applying a classical pump-probe scheme, we are able to manipulate the autoionization contribution on a picosecond time scale. Different scenarios for the creation of autoionizing states in strong laser fields are discussed.