Dipolar focusing in laser-assisted positronium formation

We consider positronium formation in collisions of positrons with excited hydrogen atoms H( n ) in an infrared laser field theoretically. This process is assisted by the dipolar focusing effect: a positron moving in a superposition of a laser field and the dipolar field can approach the atomic target even if its trajectory starts with a very large impact parameter, leading to a significant enhancement of the Ps formation cross section. The classical trajectory Monte Carlo method, which is justified for n ⩾ 3 , allows efficient calculation of this enhancement. A similar effect can occur in collisions of positrons with other atoms in excited states, which can lead to improvements in the efficiency of positronium formation.