Realization of the kicked atom

Journal Article · Mon Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1999 · Physical Review A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.59.1434· OSTI ID:304243

Frey, M T; Dunning, F B ^[1]; Reinhold, C O; Yoshida, S; Burgdoerfer, J ^[2]

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1. Department of Physics and the Rice Quantum Institute, Rice University, 6100 South Main Street, Houston, Texas 77005-1892 (United States)
2. Physics Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6377 (United States)

The kicked atom is realized experimentally by exposing potassium np Rydberg atoms with n{approximately}388 to a sequence of up to 50 half-cycle pulses whose duration is much shorter than the classical electron orbital period. The Rydberg atom survival probability is observed to have a broad maximum for pulse repetition frequencies near the classical orbital frequency. Comparisons with detailed classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations show that this behavior provides an unambiguous signature of dynamical stabilization. The classical simulations further show that the kicked hydrogen atom is, depending on the pulse repetition frequency, chaotic or characterized by a mixed phase space with various families of fully stable islands within which the atom is stable against ionization. Signatures of stabilization and chaotic diffusion are also observed in the final bound-state distribution of the surviving atoms. {copyright} {ital 1999} {ital The American Physical Society}

• OSTI ID: 304243
• Journal Information: Physical Review A, Journal Name: Physical Review A Journal Issue: 2 Vol. 59; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

66 PHYSICS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
PHOTON-ATOM COLLISIONS
POTASSIUM
RYDBERG STATES
SIMULATION