Effects of imperfect unipolarity on the ionization of Rydberg atoms by subpicosecond half-cycle pulses

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Abstract
Rydberg atoms are ionized by nearly unipolar, subpicosecond electromagnetic pulses. Deviations from a perfectly unidirectional pulse are found to alter substantially the ionization probability as a function of peak field. Quantitative agreement between classical theory and experiment is achieved if the pulse imperfections are significantly attenuated.