PHASE-CONTROL THROUGH CHANNELS INVOLVING MULTIPLE CONTINUA AND MULTIPLE THRESHOLDS

We present a theory of phase control which governs the time-dependent behaviour of a system involving one bound and one decaying discrete st ate embedded in several continua belonging to several ionization thres holds. Representative numerical results are shown, focusing an the beh aviour of the branching ratio as a function of the relative phase of t wo lasers, detuning, and Rabi frequencies (or intensities). Specific q uantitative results on the Ca atom are also reported.