Relevance of classical chaos in quantum mechanics: The hydrogen atom in a monochromatic field

Abstract We present analytical and numerical results on the mechanism of excitation and ionization of hydrogen atoms under microwave fields. In particular we predict the existence of a critical value of the microwave field, the quantum delocalization border , above which the quantum packet delocalizes and strong excitation and ionization takes place. Below the quantum border, the packet is localized even though the corresponding classical system can be chaotic and obeys a diffusion equation. Our studies reveal some other unexpected new features of quantum dynamics which also could be observed in laboratory experiments and provides a quantum theory for subthreshold ionization.

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