Strong-field approximation for ionization of a diatomic molecule by a strong laser field

We present a theory of ionization of diatomic molecules by a strong laser field. A diatomic molecule is considered as a three-particle system, which consists of two heavy atomic (ionic) centers and an electron. After the separation of the center-of-mass coordinate, the dynamics of this system is reduced to the relative electronic and nuclear coordinates. The exact S-matrix element for ionization is presented in a form in which the laser-molecule interaction is emphasized. This form is useful for application of the molecular strong-field approximation (SFA). We introduced two forms of the molecular SFA, one with the field-free and the other with the field-dressed initial molecular bound state. We relate these two forms of our modified molecular SFA to the standard molecular SFAs, introduced previously using the length gauge and the velocity gauge. Numerical examples of the ionization rates of N₂ and O₂ molecules are shown and compared for all four versions of the molecular SFA and we suggest that our modified molecular SFA should be used instead of the standard molecular SFA.