General approximator for strong-field ionization rates

We address the long-standing problem of determining accurate, time-resolved ionization rates for atoms in strong laser fields, a quantity that is fundamental to attosecond science. We show that it is possible to retrieve sub-optical-cycle dynamics of strong-field ionization from ionization probabilities obtained for a set of few-cycle laser pulses that covers a sufficiently broad parameter space. To this end, we introduce the general approximator for strong-field ionization rates, a retrieval tool that uses a few adjustable parameters to accurately reconstruct data. By imposing only essential physical constraints, our model provides a versatile framework for time-domain investigations of strong-field ionization and the role of ionization dynamics in attosecond metrology and lightwave electronics.