Non-exponential decay of autoionizing shock-wavepackets

Summary form only given. Electron correlation has a profound effect on the evolution of doubly-excited states in two-electron atoms. We are currently investigating the use of ultra-fast laser excitation to manipulate the evolution and decay of autoionizing states of alkaline-earth atoms. A straightforward approach to this problem involves the sequential excitation of both electrons to individually tailored Rydberg wavepackets. The key to the success of this type of scheme is understanding the evolution of the intermediate autoionizing states during the multi-step excitation. To this end, we have probed the evolution of the autoionizing wavepacket that is produced when a stationary singly excited Rydberg state undergoes a sudden isolated-core excitation (ICE) of the "inner" electron.