Quantum interference of a time-dependent wave packet of atom irradiated by an ultra-short laser pulse*

The wave packet evolution of an atom irradiated by an intense laser pulse is systematically investigated by using the numerical solution of the time-dependent Schrödinger equation. There are two types of spatial interference structures in the time-dependent evolution of the atomic wave packet. With the increasing of the evolution time, the interference fringe spacing for type I (type II) becomes larger (smaller). As the wavelength of the incident laser increases, the interference of the wave packet is changed from type II to type I, and the shift of interference type can be attributed to the contribution of excited states by using the energy analysis of the time-dependent wave function.