1995/10/27 by Jakub Zakrzewski, Robert Gębarowski, Robert Gebarowski +1 · 21 citations
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Angular momentum #Angular momentum coupling #Atomic physics #Chemistry #Circular polarization #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Elliptical polarization #Excited state #Hydrogen atom #Hydrogen-like atom #Ion #Ionization #Linear polarization #Magnetic field #Physics #Polarization (electrochemistry) #Principal quantum number #Quantum #Quantum chaos and dynamical systems #Quantum defect #Quantum mechanics #Quantum number #Quantum, superfluid, helium dynamics #Rydberg atom #Rydberg formula #Rydberg state #Total angular momentum quantum number #chao-dyn #nlin.CD
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physreva.54.691
published in Physical Review A 54(1), 691-709 (American Physical Society) · 45pp. 18figs., .ps files, prepared using uufiles, Phys. Rev. A subm
arxiv created 1995/10/27 · openalex publication_date 1996/07/01 · arxiv updated 2009/11/30 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
The ionization of hydrogen Rydberg atoms by circularly polarized microwaves is studied quantum mechanically in a model two-dimensional atom. We apply a combination of a transformation to the coordinate frame rotating with the field, with complex rotation approach and representation of the atomic subspace in a Sturmian-type basis. The diagonalization of resulting matrices allows us to treat exactly the ionization of atoms initially prepared in highly excited Rydberg states of principal quantum number n0\ensuremath\approxeq60. Similarities and differences between ionization by circularly and linearly polarized microwaves are discussed with a particular emphasis on the high-frequency regime and on the localization phenomenon. The dependence of the ionization character on the initial state (circular, elliptical, or low angular momentum state) as well as on the helicity of the polarization is discussed in detail. It is shown that, in the high-frequency chaotic regime, close encounters with the nucleus do not play a major role in the ionization process. \textcopyright 1996 The American Physical Society.