Interplay of the channel-closing and bound-bound transition resonances in multiphoton ionization and harmonic generation in intense laser pulses

Abstract

In this paper, using a simplified model of the xenon atom, we numerically study the possibilities of efficient generation of coherent pulses in the XUV range through the resonant interaction of atoms with a moderate-intensity laser field, leading to the generation of its harmonics. We demonstrate the interplay of two systems of resonances affecting the harmonic generation efficiency. One is the channel-closing resonances, which arise when the sum of ionization and ponderomotive energies is equal to the energy of an integer number of laser photons. The second is the bound-bound transition resonances corresponding to an integer number of photons with a total energy equal to the energy gap between the Stark-shifted ground and excited states. The harmonic yields in the range of laser parameter values where both resonances occur exhibit a peculiar behavior, namely, near the intersection point of the resonances, a pronounced dip is observed, while the regions of increased generation efficiency due to the combined contribution of both enhancement mechanisms are slightly shifted from this point. We argue that this behavior, which is somewhat similar to the well-known phenomenon of 'avoided crossings', is associated with the formation of Fano-type resonant spectral lines. In contrast to 'avoided crossing' phenomena known in molecular physics, in the found interplay the contribution of one resonance system can be controlled, which is useful for experiments.