We investigate the impact of electron-electron correlation on the ionization dynamics of helium in intense, high-frequency laser fields by solving the time-dependent Schrödinger equation from first principles. Although we observe a decrease in the total ionization yield at high field strengths, the hallmark of atomic stabilization, the repulsion between the electrons has a detrimental effect on the degree of stabilization, in particular for short pulses. Investigation of the ion channel yields reveals that the double ionization process is less prone to two-electron effects, and consequently exhibits the most distinct signature of stabilization. We also find that commonly used one-dimensional models tend to overestimate the effect of correlation.

• Received 22 December 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.163002