Two-electron photoionization of ground-state lithium

We apply the convergent close-coupling (CCC) formalism to single-photon two-electron ionization of the lithium atom in its ground state. We treat this reaction as single-electron photon absorption followed by inelastic scattering of the photoelectron on a heliumlike Li+ ion. The latter scattering process can be described accurately within the CCC formalism. We obtain integrated cross sections of single photoionization leading to the ground and various excited states of the Li+ ion as well as double photoionization extending continuously from the threshold to the asymptotic limit of infinite photon energy. Comparison with available experimental and theoretical data validates the CCC model.