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arXiv:2605.19466

Precision probing of ionic-core transitions in alkaline-earth Rydberg atoms

Mitsuki Odahara, Shinsuke Haze

physics.atom-phquant-phSubmitted May 19, 2026• Announced May 20, 2026• 0 citations

Abstract

We report precision spectroscopy of ionic-core transitions in alkaline-earth Rydberg atoms. We demonstrate high-resolution measurements of isotope shifts and hyperfine splitting of dipole transitions in ionic cores which have not been explored so far. A key element of this work is the reduction of the linewidth by more than two orders of magnitude enabled by dynamical control of Rydberg electron's orbit which significantly enhances the spectral resolution. Furthermore, to unambiguously identify the frequency shift, we directly compare core ion's spectrum with a signal from a single trapped ion serving as an ultimate frequency reference. This work provides an important foundation for quantum control of inner-core transitions, which offer an useful tool in manipulating Rydberg atom as well as a sensitive probe for electron-core interactions in atomic and molecular systems.

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We report precision spectroscopy of ionic-core transitions in alkaline-earth Rydberg atoms. We demonstrate high-resolution measurements of isotope shifts and hyperfine splitting of dipole transitions in ionic cores which have not been explored so far. A key element of this work is the reduction of the linewidth by more than two orders of magnitude enabled by dynamical control of Rydberg electron's orbit which significantly enhances the spectral resolution. Furthermore, to unambiguously identify the frequency shift, we directly compare core ion's spectrum with a signal from a single trapped ion serving as an ultimate frequency reference. This work provides an important foundation for quantum control of inner-core transitions, which offer an useful tool in manipulating Rydberg atom as well as a sensitive probe for electron-core interactions in atomic and molecular systems.

The theory is developed for one- and two-atom interactions when the atom has a Rydberg electron attached to a hyperfine-split core state. This situation is relevant for some of the rare-earth and alkaline-earth atoms that have been proposed for experiments on Rydberg-Rydberg interactions. For the rare-earth atoms, the core electrons can have a very substantial total angular momentum

J

and a nonzero nuclear spin

I

. In the alkaline-earth atoms there is a single (

s

) core electron whose spin can couple to a nonzero nuclear spin for odd isotopes. The resulting hyperfine splitting of the core state can lead to substantial mixing between the Rydberg series attached to different thresholds. Compared to the unperturbed Rydberg series of the alkali-metal atoms, the series perturbations and near degeneracies from the different parity states could lead to qualitatively different behavior for single-atom Rydberg properties (polarizability, Zeeman mixing and splitting, etc.) as well as Rydberg-Rydberg interactions (

{C}_{5}

and

{C}_{6}

matrices).

Abstract Background of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance splitting by millimeter-wave radiation was investigated and so were calculated frequencies and amplitudes of radiation transitions between Rydberg states in alkaline earth atoms of IIA group elements, which are necessary for precise measurements of electric field magnitude at millimeter-wave (mmw) frequencies. Numerical values of the frequencies and matrix elements are approximated by asymptotic polynomials and tabulated for dipole transitions between singlet nS, nP, nD, and nF states with large values of principal quantum number n.

Background of the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) resonance splitting by millimeter-wave radiation was investigated and so were calculated frequencies and amplitudes of radiation transitions between Rydberg states in alkaline earth atoms of IIA group elements, which are necessary for precise measurements of electric field magnitude at millimeter-wave (mmw) frequencies. Numerical values of the frequencies and matrix elements are approximated by asymptotic polynomials and tabulated for dipole transitions between singletnS,nP,nD, andnF states with large values of principal quantum numbern.

Abstract In this brief review, the opportunities that the alkaline-earth elements offer for studying new aspects of Rydberg physics are discussed. For example, the bosonic alkaline-earth isotopes have zero nuclear spin which eliminates many of the complexities present in alkali Rydberg atoms, permitting simpler and more direct comparison between theory and experiment. The presence of two valence electrons allows the production of singlet and triplet Rydberg states that can exhibit a variety of attractive or repulsive interactions. The availability of weak intercombination lines is advantageous for laser cooling and for applications such as Rydberg dressing. Excitation of one electron to a Rydberg state leaves behind an optically active core ion allowing, for high- L states, the optical imaging of Rydberg atoms and their (spatial) manipulation using light scattering. The second valence electron offers the possibility of engineering long-lived doubly excited states such as planetary atoms. Recent advances in both theory and experiment are highlighted together with a number of possible directions for the future.