P. F. O’Mahony

Modelling laser-atom interactions in the strong field regime

Abstract We consider the ionisation of atomic hydrogen by a strong infrared field. We extend and study in more depth an existing semi-analytical model. Starting from the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in momentum space and in the velocity gauge we substitute the kernel of the non-local Coulomb potential by a sum of N separable potentials, each of them supporting one hydrogen bound state. This leads to a set of N coupled one-dimensional linear Volterra integral equations to solve. We analyze the gauge problem for the model, the different ways of generating the separable potentials and establish a clear link with the strong field approximation which turns out to be a limiting case of the present model. We calculate electron energy spectra as well as the time evolution of electron wave packets in momentum space. We compare and discuss the results obtained with the model and with the strong field approximation and examine in this context the role of excited states. Graphical abstract

Strong field approximation within a Faddeev-like formalism for laser-matter interactions

Abstract We consider the interaction of atomic hydrogen with an intense laser field within the strong-field approximation. By using a Faddeev-like formalism, we introduce a new perturbative series in the binding potential of the atom. As a first test of this new approach, we calculate the electron energy spectrum in the very simple case of a photon energy higher than the ionisation potential. We show that by contrast to the standard perturbative series in the binding potential obtained within the strong field approximation, the first terms of the new series converge rapidly towards the results we get by solving the corresponding time-dependent Schrödinger equation. Graphical abstract

Sturmian bases for two-electron systems in hyperspherical coordinates

We give a detailed account of an

Ionisation of H 2 O by a strong ultrashort XUV pulse: a model within the single active electron approximation

\it{ab}

Rydberg and continuum states of atoms in external fields

\it{initio}

Exact propagator for generalized Ornstein-Uhlenbeck processes.

spectral approach for the calculation of energy spectra of two active electron atoms in a system of hyperspherical coordinates. In this system of coordinates, the Hamiltonian has the same structure as the one of atomic hydrogen with the Coulomb potential expressed in terms of a hyperradius and the nuclear charge replaced by an angle dependent effective charge. The simplest spectral approach consists in expanding the hyperangular wave function in a basis of hyperspherical harmonics. This expansion however, is known to be very slowly converging. Instead, we introduce new hyperangular sturmian functions. These functions do not have an analytical expression but they treat the first term of the multipole expansion of the electron-electron interaction potential, namely the radial electron correlation, exactly. The properties of these new functions are discussed in detail. For the basis functions of the hyperradius, several choices are possible. In the present case, we use Coulomb sturmian functions of half integer angular momentum. We show that, in the case of H

Wannier threshold law and the classical-quantum correspondence in three-body Coulomb breakup

^-

Eigenfunctions and matrix elements for a class of eigenvalue problems with staggered ladder spectra

, the accuracy of the energy and the width of the resonance states obtained through a single diagonalization of the Hamiltonian, is comparable to the values given by state-of-the-art methods while using a much smaller basis set. In addition, we show that precise values of the electric-dipole oscillator strengths for

Threshold laws and reaction zone dynamics of three-body Coulomb breakup

S\rightarrow P