Localized chaos in one-dimensional hydrogen

We calculate the response of hydrogen to the presence of both a strong dc electric field (necessary to isolate a nearly one-dimensional motion) and a strong radiation field of higher frequency than the binding energy of the system, a regime that has not previously been examined by theory or experiment. We determine the classical ionization threshold, the quantum-delocalization threshold, and the threshold of n mixing due to chaotic effects. The analysis indicates that the dc field can have a dramatic effect on the quantum localization of classically chaotic diffusion, changing the delocalization threshold by more than an order of magnitude. Moreover, this system provides a large spectral region in which quantum-mechanical localization inhibits classical chaotic diffusion. This theory is well suited to experimental testing.