Semiclassical Dirac theory of tunnel ionization

We present analytic tunnel ionization rates for hydrogenlike ions in ultrahigh intensity laser fields, as obtained from a semiclassical solution of the three-dimensional Dirac equation. This presents the first quantitative determination of tunneling in atomic ions in the relativistic regime. Our theory opens the possibility to study strong laser field processes with highly charged ions, where relativistic ionization plays a dominant role.