Computational strong-field quantum dynamics. Intense light-matter interactions (Q528891)

The subject of the book is the computer simulation of the quantum dynamics in strong laser fields. Most of the textbooks in quantum mechanics discuss the interaction of electromagnetic radiation with matter only for the case of weak fields, for which perturbation can be applied. In the case of strong fields perturbation theory is not applicable. Furthermore time-dependent methods have to be employed. This book starts where the usual textbook ends. It is written for master and doctoral students as well as for researchers, who want to enter this research field. The chapters of the book are written by various experts of the field. In the first chapter (Ch. 1: ``How to propagate a wavefunction?'', written by D. Bauer and T. Fennel) several algorithms for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger Equation are discussed. The chapter introduces the reader to the important trade-off between numerical accuracy and computational efficiency. The second chapter (Ch. 2: ``Calculation of typical strong-field observables'', written by D. Bauer) shows how to simulate a typical experiment: setting up the initial state, modeling the laser pulse and calculating observables like the ion yields, photoelectron spectra or the emitted radiation. The first two chapters can also work as an introduction to the program package Qprop, which is an open-source program package. In the third chapter (Ch. 3: ``Time-dependent relativistic wave equations: Numerics of the Dirac and the Klein-Gordon equation'', written by H. Bauke) the propagation of relativistic wavefunctions is discussed. The author presents short Python programs to demonstrate the algorithms for one-dimensional potentials. The next three chapters present different methods for solving the time-dependent Schrödinger Equation for many body systems. The advantages and limitations of each method are discussed. In Chapter 4 (Ch. 4: ``Time-dependent density functional theory'', written by D. Bauer) time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) is presented and its numerous deficiencies are discussed. In Chapter 5 (Ch. 5: ``The multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree-Fock method'', written by C. R. McDonald et al.) and Chapter 6 (Ch. 6: ``Time-dependent configuration interaction singles'', written by S. Pabst and R. Santra) two methods are presented, which do not have the deficiencies of the TD-DFT method, but are limited to smaller systems: the multiconfiguration time-dependent Hartree-Fock method (Ch. 5) and the time-dependent configuration interaction singles method (Ch. 6). Both methods are derived, the main algorithms for the numerical solution are presented and sample applications to strong-field phenomena (e. g. high-harmonic generation) are shown. In Chapter 7 (Ch. 7: ``Strong-field approximation and quantum orbits'', written by D. B. Milošević) the strong-field approximation (SFA) is introduced and its application to high-harmonic generation and above-threshold ionization is shown. In addition the author discusses extensions of the SFA, which take into account the interaction of the ejected electron with the parent ion. The last chapter of the book (Ch. 8, ``Microscopic particle-in-cell approach'', written by C. Peltz et al.) shows how to simulate the interaction of laser light with strongly coupled plasmas. For this purpose the authors present the microscopic particle-in-cell approach, which combines molecular dynamics calculations with the electromagnetic particle-in-cell approach. The author shows many details of the computer implementation and tricks to increase the computational efficiency. In addition applications (e. g. time-resolved x-ray imaging) are shown. In conclusion, the book is highly recommended to everybody, who wants to work in quantum dynamics in strong laser fields. The book presents the material for a reader, who is familiar with basic quantum mechanics. The authors -- all experts in their areas -- bring the reader to the frontiers of research and the current literature. The strength of the book is that it does not shy away from presenting state-of-the-art algorithms, even if they are complicated. Another strength of the book is that the authors discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the various methods and show possible extensions.