Xenon clusters in intense VUV laser fields

A simple model is developed that quantitatively describes intense interactions of a vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) laser pulse with a xenon cluster. We find good agreement with a recent experiment [H. Wabnitz et al., Nature (London) 420, 482 (2002)]. In particular, the large number of VUV photons absorbed per atom, at intensities significantly below 10(16) W/cm(2), is now understood.