Complete photofragmentation of the lithium atom

Differential cross sections describing the correlated motion of three electrons in the nuclear Coulomb field during the complete photofragmentation of a four-body system, the lithium atom, are calculated. Two selection rules are derived and their operation illustrated. Two features, not present in the corresponding three-body case are emphasized, namely that the Wannier configuration, in contrast to the three-body photofragmentation of helium, is allowed. Second, the cross section to access certain spin-momentum configurations of the three particles is zero for an uncorrelated but finite for a correlated final state.