Two-Electron Excitation of an Interacting Cold Rydberg Gas

Journal Article · Fri Nov 19 04:00:00 EST 2010 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.105.213004· OSTI ID:21541727

Millen, J; Lochead, G; Jones, M P. A. ^[1]

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1. Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE (United Kingdom)

We report the creation of an interacting cold Rydberg gas of strontium atoms. We show that the excitation spectrum of the inner valence electron is sensitive to the interactions in the Rydberg gas, even though they are mediated by the outer Rydberg electron. By studying the evolution of this spectrum we observe density-dependent population transfer to a state of higher angular momentum l. We determine the fraction of Rydberg atoms transferred, and identify the dominant transfer mechanism to be l-changing electron-Rydberg collisions associated with the formation of a cold plasma.

• OSTI ID: 21541727
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 21 Vol. 105; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ALKALINE EARTH METALS
ANGULAR MOMENTUM
ATOMS
COLD PLASMA
COLLISIONS
DENSITY
ELECTRONS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITATION
EXCITED STATES
FERMIONS
INTERACTIONS
LEPTONS
METALS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PLASMA
POPULATION INVERSION
RYDBERG STATES
SPECTRA
STRONTIUM
VALENCE