Ionization of hydrogen Rydberg atoms by circularly polarized microwaves is studied numerically within the framework of classical mechanics. Both the simplified two-dimensional model (in which the plane of polarization coincides with the orbit plane) and a fully three-dimensional system are considered. It is shown that the ionization proceeds in the diffusive manner for all microwave frequencies except the low-frequency limit. The threshold for diffusive excitation as well as the diffusion speed is strongly dependent on the initial state of the system for smooth pulse excitation. In a high-frequency limit the ionization threshold rises sharply—the atom is much more resistant to the excitation. Two distinct regimes of stabilization windows (regions where the ionization decreases with increasing field amplitude), one in the strong short-laser-pulse domain and the other in the weak microwave domain, are identified and discussed.

• Received 17 May 1994

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.51.1508