Confinement resonances in photoionization of endohedral atoms: a myth or reality?

Abstract

We demonstrate that the structure of confinement resonances in the photoionization cross section of an endohedral atom is very sensitive to the mean displacement <a> of the atom from the cage center. The resonances are strongly suppressed if 2<a> exceeds the photoelectron half-wavelength. We explain the results of recent experiments which contradict the earlier theoretical predictions on the existence of confinement resonances in particular endohedral systems.