Propensity rule for novel selective double photoexcitation of helium atoms in strong static electric fields

We studied the double photoexcitation spectra of helium in a strong dc electric field and compared the results with the recent experimental data of Harries et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 90, 133002 (2003)]. We derived the propensity rules based on the crossing or noncrossing of energies in the Stark map to predict the selective subset of doubly excited states that are preferentially populated in such experiments. It is shown that the propensity rule is a consequence of the ubiquitous correlation properties of doubly excited states in general.