Few-electron correlated calculations of strong-field ionization of molecules

Full text: The rapid development of ultrashort XUV pulses and fully controlled femtosecond laser pulses has provided us with tools for observations on the attosecond time scale. The natural domain for time-resolved measurements lies where so many stationary states are involved that an interpretation of the dynamics in terms of transitions between stationary states is meaningless or not feasible in practice. We have developed the Multi-Configuration Time-Dependent Hartree-Fock (MCTDHF) method for the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation, which simultaneously can account for strong, non-perturbative field effects and electron correlation. In its current implementation the method allows to calculate electronic dynamics in presence of up to 8 active electrons. Electron spectra for single ionization can be calculated for the ground and excited ionic channels. The approach will be briefly described and applications to the strong field ionization and 'electron re-scattering imaging' of molecules will be given. (author)