Studies of the Interaction of Molecules and Solids with Intense Subpicosecond 248 NM Radiation

Abstract

Advances in femtosecond lasers are extending the exploration of multiphoton interactions well into the strong-field regime, the physical situation in which the external field is greater than an atomic unit (e/a02). The performance projected for ultraviolet rare gas halogen technology is currently being realized1−10 and new near-infrared solid state systems, such as Ti:Al2O3, are under vigorous development. Both technologies11 should reach a field strength of ∼100 e/a02 with instruments that produce an output energy of ~ 1J.