As an extension of theoretical study of transition from an initial state to a final channel,the initial states with same angular momentum form varied initial channels. By defining anew renormalized matrix element, the atomic radiative processes from an initial channel to afinal channel can be treated in an unified manner. As an example, we present here the renor-malized matrix element of Rb atom between initial and final channels.
As an extension of theoretical study of transition from an initial state to a final channel,the initial states with same angular momentum form varied initial channels. By defining anew renormalized matrix element, the atomic radiative processes from an initial channel to afinal channel can be treated in an unified manner. As an example, we present here the renor-malized matrix element of Rb atom between initial and final channels.
Based on the quantum defect theory, the infinite Rydberg states and its adjacent continue states with the same angular moment property will form a channel. Previous studies have considered the collision-induced transitions from a single initial state to a final channel. Here we extend these thoery to include all possible transitions between two channels. By defining a renormalized generalized oscillator strength density (GOSD) which varies smoothly across threshold, the inelastic collisions from an initial channel to a final channel can be treated in a unified manner. As an example, we present the renormalized GOSD of the Rb atom from s-initial to p-final channel, and also from s-initial to s-final channel.
Based on multichannel quantum-defect theory, a method to calculate and compile radiative transition processes for atoms (including highly ionized high-Z atoms) is proposed. Through defining the renormalized transition matrix elements from initial eigenchannels to final eigenchannels, the transition processes between infinitely many initial states and infinitely many final states can be treated conveniently. As illustrative examples, we study the alkali-metal atoms in detail.
A method alternative to the density matrix formalism is applied to derive a general expression for the radiative decay probability following the photoionization of polarized atoms in two-step approximation. The graphical technique of the angular momentum theory is used for the integration over angular and spin variables. The general expression joining both steps of photoionization and fluorescence contains the possibility to investigate the polarization of all particles in the initial and final states and the angular distributions as well as angular correlations of photoelectrons and radiation. A simple way to get the expressions for special cases of the angular distribution and polarization of fluorescence radiation in the photoionization of randomly orientated and polarized atoms is given as an example of the practical application of the general formula.
The Wigner representation of angular-momentum orientation in the classical limit on $J\ensuremath{\gg}1$ has been used to derive an equation of angular-momentum motion in the case of a closed two-level system interacting with an arbitrary polarized radiation. This equation enables us to carry out a theoretical analysis of angular-momentum motion and consider final states of the quantum system for all types of dipole transitions. We have found that in the case of a zero magnetic field in the final state of the system with $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J$ or $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J+1$ optical transition, the angular momentum is directed along or opposite to the wave vector of the radiation depending on the sign of the polarization ellipsity, while for a linear polarization the angular momentum is isotropically distributed on the plane orthogonal to the polarization vector. For the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J\ensuremath{-}1$ transition two directions of angular momentum are possible in the final state. These directions are determined by the ellipsity of polarization. The spatial size of the final distribution of the angular momentum has been defined by the quantum uncertainty, 1/J, of the angular-momentum orientation. In the case of the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J\ensuremath{-}1$ or $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J,$ transition particles come into ``dark'' states while for the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J+1$ transition they occupy the ``brightest'' state. In the presence of a nonzero magnetic field, particles with $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J$ transition have in the final state only one angular-momentum orientation, i.e., along or opposite to the direction of the magnetic field depending on the polarization ellipsity sign. For the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J+1$ transition both directions are possible, i.e., along and opposite to the magnetic field. In the case of the $\stackrel{\ensuremath{\rightarrow}}{J}J\ensuremath{-}1$ transition the directions of the angular momentum form a cone around the magnetic field.
Although dielectronic and radiative recombination are usually treated as distinct noninterfering processes, Alber, Cooper, and Rau [Phys. Rev. A 30, 2845 (1984)] have recently presented a scattering- or S-matrix analysis which provides a unified description of these processes. This description employs a diagonalization of the atom plus radiation field Hamiltonian using a limited basis set consisting of one discrete autoionizing state, a single-electron continuum, and a single-photon continuum. In the present work we extend Mo?ller scattering operator and resolvent operator techniques, which have previously been used to discuss the decay of prepared systems, in order to provide an S-matrix analysis of the electron-ion photorecombination process near an isolated autoionizing resonance. We explicitly allow for degenerate magnetic sublevels of the atomic system and for multiple angular momentum contributions in the partial-wave expansion of the electron-continuum eigenstate. After the introduction of the pole approximation, in which only the \ensuremath{\delta}-function term is retained in the evaluation of the various self-energies that occur in the diagonalization of the Hamiltonian for the combined many-electron radiation-field system, we obtain the total electron-ion photorecombination cross section as the sum of the radiative and dielectronic recombination contributions together with the conventionally ignored interference term.The radiative and dielectronic recombination cross sections reduce to the familiar forms when the continuum-continuum coupling effects are neglected. Alternatively, the combined cross section for the entire electron-ion photorecombination process may be represented by a modified Fano line profile, which is shifted and broadened as a result of the coupling between the autoionization and radiation continua. Recombination processes that involve more than a single state of the initial ion, of the autoionizing resonance, or of the final system can be treated by appropriately augmenting the unperturbed basis set. It is anticipated that the effects of the interference between radiative and dielectronic recombination and of the continuum-continuum coupling will be most important for individual transitions involving low-lying autoionizing levels and will probably be negligible for the total dielectronic recombination rates due to the highly excited levels.
Quantum mechanics can be formulated either in terms of matrix mechanics or in terms of wave mechanics. This chapter centers on a discussion of the historical origins, mathematical structure, and extension to non-Hermitian quantum theory of matrix mechanics. The development of atomic discrete spectra and the old quantum theory showed that classical mechanics could not account for the discreteness of atomic energy levels and spectral lines, which motivated Heisenberg, Born, Jordan, and others to establish matrix mechanics centered on noncommuting physical quantities. Combining the Bohr atomic model, angular momentum quantization, and radiative transitions, one can see how matrix mechanics describes the energy level structure and quantum transitions of atomic systems, and how the Heisenberg equation of motion gives the fundamental form of quantum dynamics. The example of the harmonic oscillator further shows that the discreteness of the energy spectrum can be obtained directly from the matrix method, thereby establishing a clear connection among transition frequencies, matrix elements, and radiation-induced transitions. The matrix representation corresponds to the operator theory in Hilbert space, where state vectors, inner products, complete bases, and spectral decomposition constitute the fundamental mathematical framework of quantum mechanics. For closed quantum systems, physical observables are generally required to be represented by Hermitian or self-adjoint operators, so as to ensure that their eigenvalues possess the physically acceptable property of being real numbers. The Hermiticity of an operator is also closely related to its domain and boundary conditions, which provides a mathematical possibility for the emergence of non-Hermitian Hamiltonians. Based on these discussions, this chapter further explains how non-Hermitian dynamics is connected with open systems, dissipative processes, and special boundary conditions, thereby demonstrating the natural connection between traditional matrix mechanics and modern non-Hermitian quantum theory.