We present a theoretical framework for the electronic dynamics of arbitrarily oriented molecular hydrogen in strong and short electromagnetic fields. The ground state of ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ is obtained by propagating the time-dependent Schrödinger equation in imaginary time by assuming the Hartree-Fock ansatz for the interaction between the electrons. The interaction of ${\mathrm{H}}_2$ with the radiation field is considered in the single-active-electron approximation, with the continuum electron subject to Hartree-Fock radial potentials. We propagate the wave function by a split-operator scheme projected on a spherical harmonics basis. Alignment-dependent yields and angular distributions for one- and two-photon ionization induced by an external femtosecond light source are presented and compared with available theoretical results.

• Received 17 April 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.76.033402