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

Journal Article · Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2005 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.163007· OSTI ID:932134

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

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1. Rice University
2. ORNL
3. Institute for Theoretical Physics, Vienna University of Technology, Austria

We show that strongly polarized very-high-n (n~600) potassium Rydberg atoms can be produced by manipulating lower-n (n~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.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 932134
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 95
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English