Strong-Field Ionization of Linear Molecules by a Bichromatic Elliptically Polarized Laser Field with Coplanar Counterrotating or Corotating Components of Different Frequencies

Abstract

We investigate strong-field ionization of linear molecules by a two-color laser field of frequencies rω and sω having coplanar counterrotating or corotating elliptically polarized components (ω is the fundamental laser field frequency and r and s are integers). Using the improved molecular strong-field approximation we analyze direct above-threshold ionization (ATI) and high-order ATI (HATI) spectra. More precisely, reflection and rotational symmetries of these spectra for linear molecules aligned in the laser-field polarization plane are considered. The reflection symmetries for particular molecular orientations, known to be valid for a bicircular field (this is the field with circularly polarized counterrotating components), are valid also for arbitrary component ellipticities. However, specific rotational symmetries that are satisfied for HATI by a bicircular field, are violated for an arbitrary elliptically polarized field with counterrotating components. For the corotating case and the N2 molecule we analyze molecular-orientation-dependent interferences and plateau structures for various ellipticities.