Laser-induced non-sequential double ionization of small molecules

Non-sequential double ionization of N-2 and C2H2 is observed using a linear polarized 50 fs laser pulse at lambda = 800 nm in the 10(14)-10(16) W cm(-2) intensity range. The N+ + N+ + E-kinetic charge separation channels follow similar laser intensity dependences as the N-2(2-) detected dication for different final kinetic energy releases E-kinetic. These experimental results show that the two-electron ejection occurs at a short internuclear distance following the Franck-Condon principle and that the detected molecular dication and charge separation decay channels in the case of N-2 come from the same molecular complex resulting from the laser excitation.