Angle-resolved covariance mapping of spatially-aligned in an intense picosecond laser field

Angle-resolved covariance mapping has been applied to measure the angular distributions of - and - ion pairs resulting from double ionization of using picosecond-duration, linearly-polarized laser pulses of intensity is spatially aligned along the laser polarization vector much more efficiently than . The field-induced dipole moment of the dication is calculated to be 21% more than that of the cation. The following sequence of events is inferred upon immersion of in the intense field: ionization and double ionization spatial alignment dissociation.