Precise photoionization yields of atomic hydrogen using intense few-cycle light pulses

The interaction of intense few-cycle infrared laser pulses with matter is the fundamental process at the heart of strong-field science. The complex, highly nonlinear dynamics that occur in the regime of few-cycle laser pulses necessitate accurate theoretical simulations in order to retrieve useful physical measurements and provide a sensible physical interpretation of the experimental data. Strong-field ionization experiments involving atomic hydrogen (H) have been previously performed with a qualitative agreement to theory. Building on our earlier work, which obtained quantitative agreement at the 10{\%} level between simulations and measurements of photoelectron spectra in H [M. G. Pullen \textit{et al} 2011 \textit{Opt. Lett.} \textbf{36} 3660], we now extend this scheme to measurements of the total photoionization yield. We interact a few-cycle laser pulse with duration of 6 fs, 800 nm central with an H beam created though an RF discharge source. The ions that are created as a result of photoionization events are detected by a time-of-flight mass spectra and an ionization yield is determined.