Observing angular precession of a Rydberg wave packet due to spin-orbit coupling by orthogonally polarized weak half-cycle pulses

Journal Article · Mon May 15 00:00:00 EDT 2006 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.73.0· OSTI ID:20787249

Wen, H; Pisharody, S N; Murray, J M; Bucksbaum, P H ^[1]

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1. FOCUS Center, Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1120 (United States)

We investigate the response of an np Rydberg wave packet to orthogonally polarized weak half-cycle pulses (HCPs) over the course of its field-free evolution. The population redistribution from p to s states is highly sensitive to the polarization of the HCP and changes with the precession of the electron orbits due to the spin-orbit coupling. We obtain the selection rules and give an intuitive classical interpretation of angular momentum redistribution by a HCP.

• OSTI ID: 20787249
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Vol. 73, Issue 5; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.73.052504; (c) 2006 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1050-2947
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ELECTRONS
L-S COUPLING
ORBITS
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
POLARIZATION
PRECESSION
PULSES
RYDBERG STATES
S STATES
SELECTION RULES
WAVE PACKETS