Multiple electron trapping in the fragmentation of strongly driven molecules

We present a theoretical quasiclassical study of the formation, during Coulomb explosion, of two highly excited neutral H atoms (double H${}^{\ast }$) of strongly driven H${}_2$. In this process, after the laser field is turned off each electron occupies a Rydberg state of an H atom. We show that two-electron effects are important in order to correctly account for double H${}^{\ast }$ formation. We find that the route to forming two H${}^{\ast }$ atoms is similar to pathway B that was identified in Phys. Rev. A {\bf 85} 011402 ® as one of the two routes leading to single H${}^{\ast }$ formation. However, instead of one ionization step being “frustrated” as is the case for pathway B, both ionization steps are “frustrated” in double H${}^{\ast }$ formation. Moreover, we compute the screened nuclear charge that drives the explosion of the nuclei during double H${}^{\ast }$ formation.