Time dependent density functional study of the photoionization dynamics of SF6

The B-spline linear combination of atomic orbitals method has been employed to study the valence and core photoionization dynamics of SF6. The cross section and asymmetry parameter profiles calculated at the time dependent density functional theory level have been found to be in fairly nice agreement with the experimental data, with the quality of the exchange-correlation statistical average of orbital potential results superior to the Van Leeuwen-Baerends 94 (LB94) ones [Phys. Rev. A 49, 2421 (1994)]. The role of response effects has been identified by a comparison of the time dependent density functional theory results with the Kohn-Sham ones interchannel coupling effects and autoionization resonances play an important role at low kinetic energies. Prominent shape resonances features have been analyzed in terms of "dipole prepared" continuum orbitals and interpreted as due to a large angular momentum centrifugal barrier as well as anisotropic (nonspherical) molecular effective potential. Finally, the method has been proven numerically stable, robust, and efficient, thanks to a noniterative implementation of the time dependent density functional theory equations and suitability of the multicentric B-spline basis set to describe continuum states from outer valence to deep core states.