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Microwave Ionization of H Atoms: Experiments in Classical and Quantal Dynamics

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The Electron

Part of the book series: Fundamental Theories of Physics ((FTPH,volume 45))

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Abstract

Experiments on microwave ionization of hydrogen atoms at various frequencies compared with theoretical calculations have shown that the problem may be divided into different regions of distinct behavior depending on the precise experimental situation. Some regions may be described up to a certain level of accuracy using classical atomic dynamics while others require quantum atomic dynamics. At a more detailed level, the latest comparisons with theoretical calculations indicate that experimentally we can measure atomic quantal interferences in an otherwise “classical region” and make links to classical atomic dynamics in an otherwise “quantal region”. In the latter case, “scars” promise to play a particularly important role in the understanding of how quantal and classical dynamics merge for a system whose classical dynamics is at least partly chaotic.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, 11794-3800, USA

    L. Moorman

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Physics Department, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA

    David Hestenes

  2. Laser-Electron Interactions Laboratory, Department of Physics, St. Francis Xavier University, Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada

    Antonio Weingartshofer

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Moorman, L. (1991). Microwave Ionization of H Atoms: Experiments in Classical and Quantal Dynamics. In: Hestenes, D., Weingartshofer, A. (eds) The Electron. Fundamental Theories of Physics, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3570-2_19

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-3570-2_19

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