COMPLETE PHOTOFRAGMENTATION OF THE LITHIUM ATOM

Differential cross sections describing the correlated motion of three electrons in the nuclear Coulomb field during the complete photofragme ntation of a four-body system, the lithium atom, are calculated. Two s election rules are derived and their operation illustrated. Two featur es, not present in the corresponding three-body case are emphasized, n amely that the Wannier configuration, in contrast to the three-body ph otofragmentation of helium, is allowed. Second, the cross section to a ccess certain spin-momentum configurations of the three particles is z ero for an uncorrelated but finite for a correlated final state.