Nonresonant multiphoton-ionization yields from Gaussian laser beams

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Abstract
The yield of ions from nonresonant multiphoton ionization from a focused laser beam is most intense in the laser beam’s focal plane, where the laser irradiance is most intense. However, appreciable ion yields can exist at significant distances from the focal plane along the laser axis. In many experimental situations ion detectors are sensitive only to limited extents along the laser axis, and ions generated beyond these limits are not detected. We include this effect here and show that for a Gaussian beam this effect can be considerable in realistic situations. We also show that the ion yield can be described by a function of two dimensionless variables, and we present approximate analytic expressions for the yields.