My aim in this book has been to give an account of the theoretical
methods of analysis of multiphoton processes in atomic physics. In this
account I have emphasized systematic methods as opposed to ad hoc
approaches. Both perturbative and nonperturbative methods are presented
with il- lustrative results of concrete applications. The perturbation
theory is the primary tool of analysis of nonresonant multiphoton
processes. It is developed here in conjunction with a diagrammatic
language and is also renormalized to free it from the unwanted
divergences which accompany the ordinary treatment when higher-order
corrections are considered. The nonperturbative methods (i.e., methods
other than that of power series ex- pansion in the field strength)
become particularly important for consistent treatments of problems
involving, for example, intermediate resonances, high field strengths,
and finite pulse duration. The specifically nonpertur- bative methods
for multiphoton transitions are presented in Chapters 6-11. The methods
of resolvent equations and of effective Hamiltonians are developed for
both the stationary and the time-dependent fields. The densi- ty matrix
method is presented in conjunction with the problems of relaxa- tion and
of fluctuating fields. The Floquet theory is presented both in the
energy domain and in the time domain. Also treated are the methods of
continued fractions, recursive iterative equations, and chain
Hamiltonians.