Stimulated radiative corrections in hydrogen in the presence of a strong laser field

The stimulated radiative corrections (or ac-Stark shift, or light shift...) of the energy levels of a hydrogenic atom irradiated by an intense, nonresonant, monomode laser field, are evaluated within the framework of the time-dependent perturbation theory, up to and including fourth order. The calculation is performed by using a Sturmian representation of the Coulomb Green's function. Whenever it is possible, comparison is made with other results, and several limiting cases are considered. If the laser frequency $\omega \to 0$, one recovers the results of the dc-Stark effect. If $2\omega$ becomes larger than the ionization energy of the atomic state considered, the fourth-order level shift acquires an imaginary part which may be connected, via an extension of the optical theorem, to the two-photon ionization cross section. We point out also the difficulties encountered, when trying to get sensible estimates from partial summation of the infinite sums entering the perturbative expression of the fourth-order amplitudes. Finally, the order of magnitude of these various corrections is discussed.