Observability of atomic stabilization in an intense short pulse of radiation

Abstract

We present results of a numerical integration of the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation for hydrogen irradiated by a linearly polarized high-frequency Gaussian pulse, with the atom initially in a state with principal quantum number equal to 3, 4, or 5. We show that stabilization against ionization commences when the ponderomotive and photon energies are roughly equal, and we give a simple explanation of this effect based on momentum-energy considerations. The effect should be observable if the atom is initially in a state with high magnetic quantum number m, and if the energy bandwidth of the pulse is smaller than the binding energy of the atom.