Time-dependent density functional theory for strong-field ionization by circularly polarized pulses

Abstract

By applying time-dependent density functional theory to a two-dimensional multielectron atom subject to strong circularly polarized light pulses, we confirm that the ionization of p orbitals with defined angular momentum depends on the sense of rotation of the applied field. A simple ad-hoc modification of the adiabatic local-density exchange-correlation functional is proposed to remedy its unphysical behavior under orbital depletion.