Coupled-channel theory of photoionization microscopy

We develop a quantum-mechanical coupled-channel theory to simulate spatial distributions of electron current densities, produced in photoionization for nonhydrogenic atoms in the presence of a uniform external electric field. The coupled Schrodinger equations are numerically solved using the renormalized Numerov method. The expression for the outgoing wave function for photoelectrons ejected from the nonhydrogenic atomic source is derived. The theory is applied to investigations of photoionization for ground-state Li atoms. The distributions of electron current densities are computed and compared to the corresponding experimental images. Excellent agreement is obtained. It is, furthermore, found that the presence of the nonhydrogenic residual ion significantly changes the differential cross sections and/or electron current densities with respect to the hydrogenic case. Finally, the implications of the presence of the atomic core for quantum resonance tunneling are also analyzed.