A 4-Component Dirac Theory of Ionization of Hydrogen Molecular Ion in a Super-Intense Laser Field

Abstract

In this paper a 4-component Dirac theory of ionization of hydrogen molecular ion in a super-intense laser field is developed. Simple analytic expressions for the spin specific as well as the total ionization currents emitted from the ground state of the ion are derived. The results are given for all polarization and finite propagation vectors of the field. They apply for inner-shell ionization of analogous heavier molecular ions as well. The presence of molecular two-slit interference effect, first found in the non-relativistic case, and the spin-flip ionization current, and an asymmetry of the up- and down-spin currents similar to that predicted in the atomic case, are found also to hold for the present relativistic molecular ionic case. Finally, the possibility of controlling the dominant spin currents by selecting the handedness of a circularly polarized incident laser field is pointed out.