Microwave Ionization of Hydrogen Atoms: Experiment versus Classical Dynamics

K. A. H. van Leeuwen; G. v. Oppen; S. Renwick; J. B. Bowlin; P. M. Koch; R. V. Jensen; O. Rath; D. Richards; J. G. Leopold

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.55.2231

Microwave Ionization of Hydrogen Atoms: Experiment versus Classical Dynamics

K. A. H. van Leeuwen, G. v. Oppen, S. Renwick, J. B. Bowlin, P. M. Koch, R. V. Jensen, O. Rath, D. Richards, and J. G. Leopold

Phys. Rev. Lett. 55, 2231 – Published 18 November 1985

Abstract

Ionization of hydrogen atoms with principal quantum number $n = 32$ , 40, and 51-74 by a 9.92-GHz electric field $F (t) = \hat{z} F_{0} cos ω t$ was studied with a superimposed static electric field ${\bar{F}}_{s} = 0, 2, 5, and 8$ V/cm. The measured field strengths $F_{0} (10 %)$ at which 10% of the atoms were ionized are in excellent agreement with classical calculations in both one and two spatial dimensions. Covering finer detail as well as gross structure of the $n$ dependence of $F_{0} (10 %)$ , the agreement supports the application of classical dynamics to the analysis of this strongly perturbed quantum system.

Received 20 August 1985

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.55.2231

Authors & Affiliations

K. A. H. van Leeuwen, G. v. Oppen^*, S. Renwick^†, J. B. Bowlin, and P. M. Koch

Physics Department, State University of New York, Stony Brook, New York 11794

R. V. Jensen

Applied Physics, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut 06520

O. Rath and D. Richards

Faculty of Mathematics, The Open University, Milton Keynes MK76AA, United Kingdom

J. G. Leopold

The Fritz Haber Molecular Dynamics Research Group, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem 91904, Israel

^*Permanent address: Institut für Strahlen und Kernphysik, Technical University of Berlin, Federal Republic of Germany.
^†Present address: Physics Department, Wesleyan University, Middletown, Conn. 06457.