Magnetic-field-enhanced multistep photoionization of Gd atoms

The influence of a magnetic field in 3-color S-step photoionization of Gd a toms was investigated theoretically and experimentally for various combinat ions of laser polarizations. The photoionization process was analyzed by so lving the density matrix equations in which the influences of a magnetic fi eld and the polarizations of the lasers were taken into account. It was fou nd that the ionization dynamics of complex Gd atoms was sensitive to the re lative polarizations of the lasers and that applying a magnetic field to Gd atoms further increases the ionization efficiency for the schemes for dedu cing angular momentum values. The strength of the magnetic field, as well a s the relative polarizations of the lasers, could be optimized for better i onization efficiency when linearly polarized lasers were used.