Photoelecton spectra calculated from absorption via the density operator: An application to photoionization at near-optical wavelengths
Phys. Rev. A 113, 033112 – Published 16 March, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2xgp-4q4k
Abstract
In a recent publication [Dalen and Selstø, Phys. Rev. A 111, 033116 (2025)], it was demonstrated how converged photoelectron spectra could be determined using a complex absorbing potential on a truncated numerical domain considerably smaller than the extension of the dynamical wave function. That approach required simulation until virtually all unbound parts of the wave function were absorbed, far beyond the duration of the interaction with the external field. In this work we formulate the method in a semianalytical manner which allows us to extrapolate to infinite times after the interaction with the external field. In addition to obtaining photoelectron spectra for hydrogen differential in energy and ejection angle, we also demonstrate how—and when—the absorber may be seen as a detector, distorting the angular distributions when the detector is placed in the extreme vicinity of the atom.
