Calculations of rates for strong-field ionization of alkali-metal atoms in the quasistatic regime

Abstract

Tunneling and over-the-barrier ionization of alkali-metal atoms in strong electromagnetic fields are studied using the single-electron model (valence electron plus atomic core) and the frozen-core approximation. The lowest-state energies and widths (ionization rates) at different values of applied field, obtained using the Stark shift expansion and the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov formula, respectively, are compared with the corresponding values determined numerically by the complex rotation method. Good agreement for the energies is obtained at the field strengths corresponding to the tunneling regime. In contrast, the rates obtained by the Ammosov-Delone-Krainov formula significantly overestimate numerical results. After introducing a correction in the formula that accounts for the dependence of the binding energy on the field strength, good agreement in the tunneling regime is obtained for the rates too. A disagreement that still remains in the over-the-barrier ionization regime indicates that at stronger fields further corrections of the rate formula, such as those related to the form of the bound-state wave function, are required. Finally, it is demonstrated that numerically determined ionization rates are not too sensitive to the choice of model for the effective core potential and good results can be obtained using a simple local pseudopotential.