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Physical Review A

Realization of the kicked atom at high scaled frequencies

Carlos O Reinhold, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer, Wen Kui Zhao, J. J. Mestayer, J. C. Lancaster, F. B. Dunning

Published Mar 24, 2006• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The response of quasi-one-dimensional very-high-$n$ Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of short unidirectional electric-field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), is studied at high scaled frequencies. Pronounced nonmonotonic structure in the survival probability is observed as $N$, the number of HCPs in the train is increased, the survival probability actually increasing with $N$ over certain ranges of $N$. This behavior is very sensitive to the polarization of the Rydberg states and is explained with the aid of classical simulations.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.73.033420

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Physical Review Letters•Dec 29, 1997•49 citations
The response of quasi-one-dimensional very-high-nnn Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of short unidirectional electric-field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), is studied at high scaled frequencies. Pronounced nonmonotonic structure in the survival probability is observed as NNN, the number of HCPs in the train is increased, the survival probability actually increasing with NNN over certain ranges of NNN. This behavior is very sensitive to the polarization of the Rydberg states and is explained with the aid of classical simulations.
The characteristics of strongly-polarized quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) Rydberg atoms produced by photoexcitation of selected Stark states in the n = 350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subject to sub-nanosecond unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution and thus of the quasi-1D nature of the states. The response of such states to a train of HCPs directed parallel and anti-parallel to the axis of polarization of the initial state is also investigated. Pronounced differences in the survival probability are observed confirming theoretical predictions that the dynamical response of the system will be very different for these two conditions. The presence of noise is also observed to play a crucial role in the dynamics. Reasonable agreement between experiment and theory is achieved.
Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) atoms can be produced by photoexciting selected Stark states in the presence of a weak do field. For n ≥ 500, such direct excitation of quasi-ID atoms becomes problematic because stray fields and effective laser linewidths lead to creation of a range of Stark states with no preferred orientation. We show here that very-high- n quasi-1D atoms can be produced by a multi-step process in which lower- n ( n ∼350) quasi-1D atoms are first produced. The excited electron is then localized in phase space near the outer classical turning point at which time it is transferred to a highly-elongated very-high- n orbit using a half cycle pulse (HCP). This leads to the population of a broad distribution of final n states centered at n ∼580. It is shown that this broad distribution can be dramatically narrowed by subsequent application of further HCPs. The factors that govern the final n distribution are discussed with the aid of classical simulations. The availability of very-high- n quasi-1D atoms allows the dynamics of the periodically kicked atom to be examined at high scaled frequencies, v 0 ≈15. Novel behavior, such as local increases in survival probability with increasing number of kicks, is observed.
The influence of a superposed offset field on the response of highly polarized (quasi-1D) very-high-nnn Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of unidirectional half-cycle pulses (HCPs) is investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. It is observed that the presence of an offset field strongly influences the dynamics. The electronic states become transiently stabilized and trapped near the ionization threshold when the net average field they experience is near zero irrespective of whether the HCPs, applied parallel to the atomic axis, are directed towards or away from the nucleus. The nature of this stabilization is explored using Poincar\'e surfaces of section. In large offset fields, direct field ionization becomes possible but it is demonstrated that this can be suppressed by application of an oppositely directed HCP train. The use of such ``frustrated field ionization'' to measure the polarization of Rydberg atoms is discussed.
The characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) high-nnn Rydberg atoms produced by photoexciting, in a weak dc field, extreme members of the n=350n=350n=350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subjected to unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCP's), of duration Tp⪡Tn{T}_{p}⪡{T}_{n}Tp​⪡Tn​ where Tn{T}_{n}Tn​ is the classical electron orbital period, directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution. It is shown that HCP's applied transverse to the atomic axis provide a particularly sensitive probe of the quasi-1D nature of the state. The experimental data are in good agreement with the results of classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations.
The ionization of potassium np Rydberg atoms with n∼388n\sim388n∼388 by pulsed unidirectional electric fields, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), with various well-characterized shapes (rectangular, triangular, and sawtooth) and durations $T\sb{p}$ comparable to the classical electron orbital period $T\sb{n}$ is investigated. The experimental results are compared to classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) simulations and the classically-scaled results of quantum calculations undertaken at n=5.n=5.n=5. The data show that in the intermediate regime, $T\sb{p}\sim T\sb{n},$ the threshold field for ionization becomes sensitive to the shape and rise time of the HCP, increasing with increasing rise time. For each pulse shape, the agreement between the experimental measurements and both the CTMC and quantum calculations is very good.
Measurements in which K(np)K(\mathrm{np})K(np) Rydberg atoms with $n\ensuremath{\sim}388$ are subject to a train of up to 50 half-cycle pulses are reported and reveal a peak in the atomic survival probability for pulse repetition frequencies near the classical orbital frequency. Classical calculations show that this behavior is associated with dynamical stabilization and the periodic orbits in phase space around which stable islands form are identified. This work provides the first direct evidence for dynamical stabilization of a periodically kicked Rydberg atom.