AUTOCORRELATION FUNCTION AND ITS APPLICATION TO H- IN A STATIC ELECTRIC-FIELD

The dynamics of the wave packet generated by a short-pulse laser can be characterized by an autocorrelation function. The autocorrelation function is an experimentally measurable quantity. This paper shows that the autocorrelation function can be written as a sum of modified Gaussian functions that correspond to the closed orbits of the system. The autocorrelation function can be calculated by using existing algorithms in closed-orbit theory. As an application of the theory, the autocorrelation function is obtained for a system that consists of an H- ion in a static electric field. © 1995 The American Physical Society.