Control of photoionization products by quantum interferences

Atomic and molecular photoproduction can be controlled by means of quantum interference. In the experiments reported in this work, such a general principle is exploited to control and modify two light-atom interaction parameters: the total ionization rate and the branching ratio between energy degenerate final states. In one experimental scheme the ionization is altered by inducing a resonance into the continuum; the other scheme is based on the control of the relative phase of two fields, both inducing competing ionization processes. The experiments have been performed on an atomic beam setup which uses a time-of-flight spectrometer for the analysis of the emitted electron energies. Copyright © 1999 by MANK "Hay?a/Interperiodica".