PHOTOIONIZATION BY A BICHROMATIC FIELD - ADIABATIC THEORY

Atom photoionization by the superposition of a fundamental field and its second harmonic is considered. The finite analytical expressions for the photoionization probability are obtained using the adiabatic approximation. They demonstrate that the photoelectron angular distribution has a polar symmetry when the electrical field strength has a maximal polar asymmetry and the distribution is asymmetrical when the field is symmetrical. A strict proof of the polar symmetry of the photoionization probability in the case of the electrical field with maximal asymmetry is deduced using the Keldysh-Faisal-Reiss theories. The obtained results are in agreement with the experimental data available. © 1995 The American Physical Society.