# What happens to atoms in extremely strong electromagnetic fields?

I know that strong gravitational fields on the order of neutron stars (at the crust) atoms get compressed so tightly, the empty space between them is significantly reduced and it becomes denser. (http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn16948-star-crust-is-10-billion-times-stronger-than-steel.html#.U4aErvldWSo)

I know that in strong magnetic fields, the atoms polymerize, again becoming denser http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutron_star

So my question is what happens to atoms in super intense electromagnetic fields on the magnitude comparable to the g-fields and magnetic fields in neutron stars?

Atoms are bound together by electrostatic forces. The energy is on the order of 10eV (e.g. 13.4eV for for an electron and proton in the ground state of a H atom), and the size is of the order of an Angstrom (Bohr radius is ~0.5 Å). Therefore when electric fields are greater than roughly $$E\sim \frac{10\text{V}}{0.1\text{nm}}=10^{11}\,\text{V/m}$$ then the external field is greater than the binding force of the atom. When this happens you can treat the problem as independent particles in an external electric field (possibly with the electrostatic potential between particles as a perturbation).