Engineering Very-High-n Polarized Rydberg States Using Tailored Half-Cycle-Pulse Sequences

Journal Article · Fri Oct 14 04:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.163007· OSTI ID:20696569

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

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1. Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, 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, A1040 Vienna (Austria)

We show that strongly polarized very-high-n (n{approx}600) potassium Rydberg atoms can be produced by manipulating lower-n (n{approx}350) polarized atoms using a tailored sequence of ultrashort half-cycle pulses (HCPs). The protocol for this involves first a weak HCP that generates transient phase-space localization whereupon a second large HCP of opposite polarity excites the electron to a broad distribution of highly elongated states. This distribution is then refocused by a short periodic train of HCPs using the properties of (un)stable manifolds near fixed points in phase space.

• OSTI ID: 20696569
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 16 Vol. 95; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ATOMS
ELECTRONS
PERIODICITY
PHASE SPACE
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
POTASSIUM
PULSES
RYDBERG STATES