Resonantly enhanced photoionization in correlated three-atomic systems

TL;DR

This paper investigates how resonant electron-electron correlations in a three-atomic system can significantly modify photoionization processes, revealing the influence of neighboring atoms on ionization probability, dynamics, and spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed study of resonant photoionization in a three-atomic system, highlighting the effects of a third atom on ionization behavior and spectra, which was not previously explored.

Findings

Neighboring atoms can strongly influence photoionization probability.

The presence of a third atom alters the time evolution of ionization.

Photoelectron spectra are significantly affected by interatomic correlations.

Abstract

Modifications of photoionization arising from resonant electron-electron correlations between neighbouring atoms in an atomic sample are studied. The sample contains atomic species A and B, with the ionization potential of A being smaller than the energy of a dipole-allowed transition in B. The atoms are subject to an external radiation field which is near-resonant with the dipole transition in B. Photoionization of an atom A may thus proceed via a two-step mechanism: photoexcitation in the subsystem of species B, followed by interatomic Coulombic decay. As a basic atomic configuration, we investigate resonant photoionization in a three-atomic system A-B-B, consisting of an atom A and two neighbouring atoms B. It is found that, under suitable conditions, the influence of the neighbouring atoms can strongly affect the photoionization process, including its total probabilty, time development and photoelectron spectra. In particular, by comparing our results with those for photoionization of an isolated atom A and a two-atomic system A-B, respectively, we reveal the characteristic impact exerted by the third atom.