Femtosecond Photoelectron Imaging of N 2 at 410 nm

We experimentally measure the kinetic energy and angular distributions of photoelectrons of N-2 as a function of 410 nm femtosecond laser intensity by using velocity map imaging technique. The strong-field multiphoton ionization of molecules shares many of the characteristics with those of atoms. Electron kinetic energies are nearly independent of laser intensities. The independence suggests that the electron peaks in the photoelectron spectrum actually result from a two-step process, indicative of the occurrence of real population in the intermediate states. The relative amplitudes of electron peaks indicate that in the two-step process, nonresonant population transfer dominates for low intensities, while resonant population transfer dominates for higher intensities.