Time-dependent R -matrix theory for ultrafast atomic processes

Abstract

We describe an ab initio nonperturbative time-dependent R -matrix theory for ultrafast atomic processes. This theory enables investigations of the interaction of few-femtosecond and -attosecond pulse lasers with complex multielectron atoms and atomic ions. A derivation and analysis of the basic equations are given, which propagate the atomic wave function in the presence of the laser field forward in time in the internal and external R -matrix regions. To verify the accuracy of the approach, we investigate two-photon ionization of Ne irradiated by an intense laser pulse and compare current results with those obtained using the R -matrix Floquet method and an alternative time-dependent method. We also verify the capability of the current approach by applying it to the study of two-dimensional momentum distributions of electrons ejected from Ne due to irradiation by a sequence of 2 as light pulses in the presence of a 780 nm laser field. © 2009 The American Physical Society.