Abstract
Recent experiments on the microwave ionization of highly excited hydrogen atoms are well described by a one-dimensional classical theory in which the ionization is associated with the onset of chaos in the nonlinear electron dynamics. Motivated by the success of the one-dimensional classical theory and the challenge of uncovering the quantum mechanical mechanism responsible for the stochastic ionization, we have studied the numerical solution of the Schrodinger equation for a one-dimensional hydrogen atom in an oscillating electric field. Our numerical algorithm describes the interaction of a large number of bound states with a discrete representation of the continuum in terms of Coulomb wave functions. Preliminary results of these quantal calculations are compared with the classical predictions and with the results of recent experimental measurements of the microwave ionization of highly excited hydrogen atoms in order to address some of the issues raised by the problem of “quantum chaos”. Moreover, since this numerical approach provides an explicit calculation of the energy distribution of the liberated electrons, this work may also provide valuable insight into the closely related problem of Above-Threshold Ionization.
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Jensen, R.V., Susskind, S.M. (1987). One-Dimensional Atomic Physics. In: Rahman, N.K., Guidotti, C., Allegrini, M. (eds) Photons and Continuum States of Atoms and Molecules. Springer Proceedings in Physics, vol 16. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71778-9_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-71778-9_3
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