Transporting Rydberg Electron Wave Packets with Chirped Trains of Pulses

Journal Article · Fri Nov 02 04:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.99.183003· OSTI ID:21024382

Mestayer, J J; Zhao, W; 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 and the Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University, 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, Vienna (Austria)

A protocol for steering Rydberg electrons towards targeted final states is realized with the aid of a chirped train of half-cycle pulses (HCPs). Its novel capabilities are demonstrated experimentally by transporting potassium atoms excited to the lowest-lying quasi-one-dimensional states in the n{sub i}=350 Stark manifold to a narrow range of much higher-n states. We demonstrate that this coherent state transfer is, to a high degree, reversible. The protocol allows for remarkable selectivity and is highly efficient, with typically over 80% of the parent atoms surviving the HCP sequence.

• OSTI ID: 21024382
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 18 Vol. 99; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
ANNIHILATION OPERATORS
EIGENSTATES
ELECTRONS
POTASSIUM
RYDBERG STATES
WAVE PACKETS