title: The role of intermediate state polarization in determination of vector properties of the ground state using multiphoton excitation.
abstract: We present a general theory for calculating the vector and geometrical properties of the multiphoton excitation of an arbitrary atomic or molecular system. The results are applied to study the influence of the polarization of the two-photon excited state, which is usually neglected, on the intensity of (2 + 1) resonant multiphoton ionization in atoms. Two examples of specific atomic systems of practical importance are presented: oxygen and chlorine. For some cases, the effect of the polarization of the pre-ionized state can be significant and must be properly treated.
authors.affiliation: Ioffe Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Polytechnicheskaya 26, 194021 St. Petersburg, Russia.
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Shternin
authors.forename: V K
authors.initials: VK
authors.lastname: Ivanov
authors.forename: A G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Suits
authors.forename: O S
authors.initials: OS
authors.lastname: Vasyutinskii
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D003198:Computer Simulation; D008027:Light; D008956:Models, Chemical; D008958:Models, Molecular; D010777:Photochemistry / Q000379:methods*; D017785:Photons; D013057:Spectrum Analysis / Q000379:methods*