Electron and nuclear dynamics of molecular clusters in ultraintense laser fields. I. Extreme multielectron ionization

A study was conducted on the extreme multielectron ionization in representative elemental and molecular clusters, i.e., atomic clusters of xenon, Xe_n, and molecular clusters of deuterium and of deuterated methane in ultra intense laser fields, using classical dynamics simulations. Extreme multielectron ionization involves the removal of the valence electrons or the complete stripping of all the electrons with the formation of nuclei in light, first-row atoms, or the formation of high charged ions, e.g., Xe^q+(q≤26), from heavy atoms. This paper addresses the ionization mechanisms and the ionization levels of multielectron cluster ionization in ultraintense laser fields, focusing on the novel and unique features of cluster ionization, which differs from those of the ionization of individual atoms ad molecules.