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Physical Review A

Spin-orbit effect in the electric field ionization of Rb and Cs

Thomas F. Gallagher, Bryce E. Perry, Kambiz Ali Safinya, Wolfgang Sandner

Published Dec 1, 1981• 8 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The large spin-orbit interaction in Rb and Cs strongly couples states of different $|{m}_{l}|$ during the passage from low to high field during the electric field ionization of excited states. The result of this is that the technically accessible rise times which yield very selective ionization of Na yield much lower selectivity for Rb and Cs.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.24.3249

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The large spin-orbit interaction in Rb and Cs strongly couples states of different ∣ml∣|{m}_{l}|∣ml​∣ during the passage from low to high field during the electric field ionization of excited states. The result of this is that the technically accessible rise times which yield very selective ionization of Na yield much lower selectivity for Rb and Cs.
We have studied the electric field ionization of excited states of K and have found that it is similar in its gross features to the field ionization of Na. However, there are clear differences which are particularly important for applications. We attribute the differences to the coupling of states of different ∣ml∣|{m}_{l}|∣ml​∣ in high electric fields by the spin-orbit interaction of the K ppp states.
Abstract Spin-dependent effects in atomic processes can be caused by the spin–orbit interaction or/and by the requirement that the wave function of identical electrons is antisymmetric. Such effects are usually neglected in strong-field physics. We show two examples, supported by theoretical results and numerical calculations, in which these effects are important. The first one is based on strong-field ionization of Xe atoms by a bicircular field. The corresponding momentum distribution of spin-polarized electrons emitted in the above-threshold ionization process exhibits wavelength-dependent fast oscillations. For longer wavelengths and small electron emission angle there is a wide photoelectron kinetic energy region in which the spin asymmetry parameter changes continuously from large positive to large negative values. In addition, the emission time of such electrons in high-order above-threshold ionization is determined on the attosecond time scale. The second process considered is high-order above-threshold ionization of excited Li + ions. We have found that in this case, even in the absence of spin–orbit coupling, the photoelectron momentum distribution strongly depends on the initial spin state. In the singlet state we have characteristic minima, which are caused by the destructive interference of the direct and exchange rescattering amplitudes. Such minima are absent in the triplet state.
Experimental results on the photoionization spectra of excited rubidium atoms in a well-defined ml=1{m}_{l}=1ml​=1 state in the presence of an electric field are reported. Spectra corresponding to a definite polarization of the ionizing light exhibit characteristic resonances which are ascribed either to the non-Coulombic part of the central potential or to the spin-orbit interaction. The different line profiles are interpreted as being due to interferences between discrete states and continua, the observed structures depending directly on the density of oscillator strengths and not simply on the density of continuum states.
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Spin-orbit coupling effect in the low-lying states of Rb2_{2}2​, Cs2_{2}2​ and RbCs molecules