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Title: Stochastic ionization of hydrogen atoms in a circularly polarized microwave field

Journal Article · · Physical Review A. General Physics; (United States)
 [1]
  1. Institute of Nonlinear Science, University of California, Santa Cruz, California 95064 (United States)

Ionization of hydrogen atoms by circularly polarized microwave radiation is investigated by means of a classical Hamiltonian model exhibiting chaotic dynamics. An analytic expression is derived for the ionization threshold as a function of the microwave frequency and field strength and is found to agree well with computed Poincare sections in the high-scaled-frequency regime, {ital n}{sub 0}{sup 3}{omega}{gt}1. The results underline the crucial role of core effects in the ionization of nonhydrogenic atoms. For nearly circular orbits forbidden zones of complex eccentricity partition the phase-space torus into disjoint regions.

OSTI ID:
7105631
Journal Information:
Physical Review A. General Physics; (United States), Vol. 46:1; ISSN 1050-2947
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English