Characterization of quasi-one-dimensional Rydberg atoms using multiply directed half-cycle pulses

Journal Article · Thu Apr 01 04:00:00 EST 2004 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.69.041401· OSTI ID:20640927

Zhao, W; Lancaster, J C; Dunning, F B ^[1]; Reinhold, C O ^[2]; Burgdoerfer, J ^[3]

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy and the Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University, MS 61, 6100 Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005-1892 (United States)
2. Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6372 (United States)
3. Institute for Theoretical Physics, Vienna University of Technology, A-1040 Vienna (Austria)

The characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) high-n Rydberg atoms produced by photoexciting, in a weak dc field, extreme members of the n=350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subjected to unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCP's), of duration T{sub p}T{sub n} where T{sub n} is the classical electron orbital period, directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution. It is shown that HCP's applied transverse to the atomic axis provide a particularly sensitive probe of the quasi-1D nature of the state. The experimental data are in good agreement with the results of classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations.

• OSTI ID: 20640927
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 69; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ANISOTROPY
ATOMS
COMPUTERIZED SIMULATION
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
EXCITATION
MONTE CARLO METHOD
MULTI-PHOTON PROCESSES
ONE-DIMENSIONAL CALCULATIONS
PHOTOIONIZATION
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
PROBES
PULSES
RYDBERG STATES
STARK EFFECT
TRAJECTORIES