Ionization by Dressed Projectiles

Abstract

In ionization by dressed particles, the bound electrons play essentially two different roles. For a pictorial description of these roles, refer back to Fig. 2.6 in Sect. 2.5. One role of the bound electrons is primarily passive, meaning that they alter the Coulomb fields of the collision partners by partially screening their respective nuclear charges. In this case, ionization of one of the collision partners results from an interaction between its electron and the screened nucleus of the other partner. The other role that bound electrons play is active, meaning that electrons bound to one collision partner interact with those bound to the other partner. The massive nuclei participate in the interaction only in the sense that they provide a distribution of momenta for the bound electrons.