Electron transitions and radiation of atoms interacting with ultrashort electromagnetic pulses

Abstract

Excitation and ionization of an atom interacting with a short electromagnetic pulse is studied within the framework of the sudden perturbation approximation. The excitation and ionization probabilities and the spectra and cross sections of reradiation of the pulse by the atom are calculated. It is suggested that the process of reradiation of ultrashort electromagnetic pulses by multielectron atoms possesses a coherent character.