Angular distributions for the triple photoionization of lithium

The time-dependent close-coupling method is used to calculate angular distributions for the triple photoionization of lithium [1]. The angular distributions reveal the preferred break-up patterns for the four-body Coulomb problem. We find that the angular distributions near the peak of the total triple photoionization cross section at 300 eV are complex, with more than one major break-up pattern evident. Further calculations are underway at smaller photon energies nearer the triple ionization threshold and will be reported at the conference. \\[4pt] [1] J. Colgan and M. S. Pindzola, Phys. Rev. Letts, in press (2012).