Atoms in strong radiation fields are interesting objects for study, and the research field that concerns itself with this study is a comparatively young one. For a long period after the ~scovery of the photoelectric effect. it was not possible to generate electro magnetic fields that did more than perturb the atom only slightly, and (first-or~er) perturbation theory could perfectly explain what was going on at those low intensities. The development of the pulsed laser bas changed this state of affairs in a rather dramatic way, and fields can be applied that really have a large, or even dominant influence on atomic structure. In the latter case, w~ speak of super-intense fields. Since the interaction between atoms and electromagnetic waves is characterized by many parameters other than the light intensity, such as frequency, iQnization potential, orbit time, etc., it is actually quite difficult to define what is exactly meant by the term 'super-intense'. Obviously the term does not have an absolute meaning, and intensity should always be viewed in relation to other properties of the system. An atom in a radiation field can thus best be described in terms of various ratios of the quantities involved. The nature of the system sometimes drastically changes if the value of one of these parameters exceeds a certain critical value, and the new regime could be called super-intense with respect to that parameter.

Klappentext

Atoms in a strong radiation field are interesting objects. While, for a long time, first-order perturbation theory was adequate to explain low-intensity effects, the development of the pulsed laser has changed matters dramatically, allowing fields to be applied that have a large, or even dominant influence on atomic structure: super-intense fields. The term is actually quite difficult to define, however, and it has no absolute meaning. An atom in a radiation field can best be described in terms of the ratios of the quantities involved. In almost all cases, however, quiver motion is the dominant feature of all atomic physics in the super-intense regime. But this can result in a wide variety of phenomena, such as ionization, emission of radiation, exchange of excess photons with the field, double ionization, etc. All of these aspects are discussed in the present book, grouped under four main headings: Multiphoton ionization; Multielectron atoms; Hard radiation quanta; and Coherence and interference.

Inhalt
I - Multiphoton Ionization.- Stabilization.- The various causes of stabilization.- Interference stabilization.- Coherently controlled Rydberg atoms as gain medium for an x-ray laser.- On adiabatic generation of Trojan wave packets.- Photoionization and stabilization of Rydberg atoms with high values of orbital momentum.- Stability windows in ionization via Rydberg states.- Dynamics of classical system with short-range potential in an intense electromagnetic wave field.- Intense-field stabilization of atomic hydrogen: classical ensemble.- Classical mechanical theories of intense field stabilization.- General strong-field ionization and high-order ATI.- Strong field atomic dynamics.- Quantum and classical mechanics of rescattering effects in high-order ATI and HHG.- MPI of atoms in intense laser pulses.- Sturmian-Floquet calculations in hydrogen.- Electrons in strong field ionization.- Circular dichroism and related effects in multiphoton transitions.- Molecules.- Dynamics of multiphoton molecular ionization and dissociation.- Laser-induced Coulomb explosion of small linear polyatomic ions.- Small molecules in intense laser fields; is there a place for stabilization.- Single-atom and plasma processes at intensities up to 1018 W/cm2.- A time-of-flight photoelectron spectrometer for the analysis of fullerenes.- II - Multi-Electron Atoms.- Correlation effects.- Correlation and its measure.- Model two-electron atoms and ions in intense short laser pulses.- Multiply charged negative ions of hydrogen induced by a super-intense high-frequency laser field.- Floquet theory of multiphoton processes in multielectron atoms.- The correlation effects of multielectron atom in intense electromagnetic field.- Density-functional approach to atoms in strong laser pulses.- Hyperspherical coordinates approach to one-dimensional models of two-electron quantum Systems.- Coherence transfer.- Continuum-continuum Autler-Townes Splitting in calcium.- Wave packet dynamics in two-electron atoms: influence of a strongly driven core resonance.- Multiphoton multiple ionization.- Mechanism of direct double ionization of He in intense laser fields.- Non-sequential triple ionization of Ar atoms in an intense 1053nm laser field.- A new model for non-sequential ionization of Xe atoms in an ultrafast intense Ti:Sapph laser field.- III - Hard Radiation Quanta.- X-rays.- Multiphoton physics with x-rays.- Experimental studies of x-ray emission resulting from the intense irradiation of atomic Clusters.- A collinear setup for optical/x-ray cross correlation measurements based on laser-assisted Auger decay.- Two-color processes.- Two-color photoionization using high-order harmonic radiation.- Laser-assisted photoeffect at moderate intensities.- Compton scattering.- Laser-electron scattering at relativistic intensities.- Photon emission by an electron colliding with a short focused laser pulse.- High-harmonic generation.- High-harmonic generation in atoms and ions.- Optimization and applications of harmonic generation.- Time dependence of harmonic generation by a single atom.- High-order harmonic generation with a 25 femtosecond laser pulse.- Harmonic emission with elliptical Polarisation.- Polarization-depentdent one- and two-color high-harmonic generation.- IV - Coherence and Interference.- Non-linear light propagation.- Dynamics of the stimulated Raman scattering of subpicoseond laser pulse in the selfproduced plasma.- Change of the frequency spectrum of relativistically strong laser pulses during their interaction with a plasma.- Non-linear optics in plasma waveguides.- Oberservation of relativistic and charge-displacement self-channeling using x-ray fluorescence.- Quasi-steady states of ionized media in intense laser fields.- Coherence, interference and wavepackets.- Coherent control of above-threshold ionization.- Laser-induced atomic structure.- Ionization of Rydberg hydrogen by a half-cycle pulse.- Atom-atom correlations and non-locality.- Classification of lasers without inversion.- Author index.