Excess-photon ionization spectra and atomic structure in intense laser fields

Floquet states represent intrinsic modes of ionization of an atom in a monochromatic field of constant intensity. To describe atomic wave packets evolving in realistic laser pulses, linear superpositions of Floquet states are required ('multistate Floquet theory'). This gives the possibility of following the evolution of wave packets in terms of the Floquet states that are populated during the pulse. We study here the way in which the Floquet states present in the representation of the wave packet manifest themselves in the excess-photon ionization spectra (EPI/ATI). For the purpose of illustration we choose a 1D atomic model with a soft-core Coulomb potential. We calculate the totality of the Floquet states, at all intensities needed, and generate the corresponding 'Floquet map'. We then calculate the EPI spectra for wave packets evolving from the ground state under different types of pulses. By analyzing the location of the lines in the spectrum, and their shapes, we show that they can be associated, in a clear cut and predictable way, to Floquet states responsible for the emission. The understanding of the underlying physics can lead to tailoring laser pulses, such as to obtain EPI signals in a controlled way. Whereas our analysis is applied to theoretical spectra, it would apply, just as well, to experimental ones