Photodetachment of HF- in an electric field

Photdetachment of a negative HF- ion in an electric field is studied by using the two-centre model and the closed orbit theory. An analytic formula is presented for the electron flux of HF- in the presence of an electric field. The results show that the oscillation in the electron flux distribution is caused by the rescattering effect of the molecular ion core and the interference between the two nuclei. In addition, the interference between the orbits passing through the given spatial point also plays an important role in the electron flux distribution. This study provides a new understanding of the photodetachment of polar molecules in the presence of external field.