Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Quantum Electronics

Relaxation of Rydberg states in an ultracold plasma

Aleksei N Tkachev, Sergei I Yakovlenko

Published Dec 31, 2001• 19 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The variations in the population densities of Rydberg states (with principal quantum number n ~ 50 — 100) in an expanding ultracold laser plasma ( N e ~ 10 9 — 10 4 cm -3 , T e ~ 10 — 0.5 K) are calculated. The electron temperature measurement from the population densities of Rydberg states (T C Killian et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 86, p. 3759, 2001) is shown to be described by the conventional three-body recombination theory with the inclusion of recombination heating of free electrons.

DOI
10.1070/qe2001v031n12abeh002111

Related papers

Recombination during expansion of ultracold plasma

Jianming Zhao, Linjie Zhang, Zhigang Feng +2 more

Signals of ultracold plasma are observed by two-photon ionization of laser-cooled caesium atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Recombination of ions and electrons into Rydberg atoms during the expansion of ultracold plasma is investigated by using state-selective field ionization spectroscopy. The dependences of recombination on initial electron temperature (1–70 K) and initial ion density (∼10 10 cm −3 ) are investigated. The measured dependence on initial ion density is N 1.547+0.004 at a delay time of 5 μs. The recombination rate rapidly declines as initial electron temperature increases when delay time is increased. The distributions of Rydberg atoms on different values of principal quantum number n, i.e. n = 30–60, at an initial electron temperature of 3.3 K are also investigated. The main experimental results are approximately explained by the three-body recombination theory.

Chinese Physics B•Apr 1, 2010•7 citations

Formation of Rydberg Atoms in an Expanding Ultracold Neutral Plasma

T. C. Killian, M. J. Lim, S. A. Kulin +3 more

We study the formation of Rydberg atoms in expanding plasmas at temperatures of 1-1000 K and densities from 10(5)-10(10) cm(-3). Up to 20% of the initially free charges recombine in about 100 micros, and the binding energy of the Rydberg atoms approximately equals the increase in the kinetic energy of the remaining free electrons. Three-body recombination is expected to dominate in this regime, yet most of our results are inconsistent with this mechanism.

Physical Review Letters•Apr 23, 2001•257 citations

Three-Body Recombination and Rydberg Atoms in Ultracold Plasmas

Robert Samuel Fletcher

Ultracold neutral plasmas, created by photoionizing samples of laser-cooled atoms, have well-controlled initial density and temperature parameters. With initial particle peak densities of ~10^15 m^-3, initial ion temperatures in the tens of micro-Kelvin range, and initial electron temperatures with a controllable range of 1-1000 K, these systems provide a means to study otherwise laboratory-inaccessible parameter ranges for plasma research. Furthermore, these plasmas are inhomogeneous, unconfined, and freely expanding into a vacuum. Despite the extraordinarily low electron temperatures, the electron system remains weakly coupled, although the ion system exhibits strong coupling behavior. While the initial electron temperatures are very low in ultracold plasmas, the temperature evolution has only been measured indirectly, in the earliest ~5% of the plasma lifetime, and often with large uncertainties. We present a technique that, with further theoretical support, can provide straightforward temperature measurements throughout the first fifth of the plasma lifetime. By making use of collective modes of the plasma, we fit a model of Tonks-Dattner resonances (electron sound wave propagating in the plasma) to measurements of these resonances and obtain a time-dependent electron temperature measurement for the ultracold plasma. Three-body recombination, a plasma loss process that has a rate scaling with the -9/2 power of the electron temperature, is of obvious interest in these ultracold plasma systems. Several theoretical works have predicted that the three-body recombination rate expression would need to be modified at these low electron temperatures, although the validity of these changes often hinges on the electron system being strongly coupled. We have performed the lowest temperature measurements of three-body recombination rates in a plasma and show that these measurements potentially provide a low-uncertainty means to calculate electron temperatures.

•Apr 18, 2008•1 citation

Rydberg atom formation in ultracold plasmas: Non-equilibrium dynamics of recombination

D. Vrinceanu, H. R. Sadeghpour, Thomas Pohl

Rydberg atom formation is a source of heating in plasmas. The rate of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma was measured and electron temperature was derived from it using standard equilibrium recombination rates. With large-scale Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations, we have calculated ab initio the rate of excitation, de-excitation, ionization (and recombination) in electron-Rydberg atom collision and investigated the short-time dynamics of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma. Comparison with observed rates is quite good. Particular attention is paid to the low-frequency microfield effect on Rydberg state cut-off in the plasma.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Nov 1, 2009•2 citations

Rydberg atom formation in ultracold plasmas: Non-equilibrium dynamics of recombination

H. R. Sadeghpour, Thomas Pohl, D. Vrinceanu

Rydberg atom formation is a source of heating in plasmas. The rate of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma was measured and temperature for the plasma was extracted. With large-scale Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations, we have ab initio calculated the rate of excitation, de-excitation, ionization (and recombination) in electron-Rydberg atom collision and investigated the short-time dynamics of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma. Comparison with observed rates is quite good. Particular attention is paid to the low-frequency microfield effect on Rydberg state cut-off in the plasma.

Journal of Physics Conference Series•Nov 1, 2009•0 citations

Ultracold neutral plasmas

T. C. Killian

By photoionizing a sample of laser-cooled xenon atoms, we create ultracold neutral plasmas with initial temperatures of 1–1000 K and densities as high as 1010 cm−3. The plasma is formed by the trapping of electrons by the residual positive charge that is left after some electrons initially leave the sample. We excite plasma oscillations with applied radio frequency fields and use this to monitor the expansion of the unconfined plasma. We have observed significant recombination of the plasma into Rydberg atoms (up to 20%). At these low temperatures, the only traditional form of recombination that could be significant is three-body recombination (TBR), but we see a number of trends in direct contradiction to what one would expect from classical TBR theory.

AIP conference proceedings•Jan 1, 2002•2 citations
The variations in the population densities of Rydberg states (with principal quantum number n ~ 50 — 100) in an expanding ultracold laser plasma ( N e ~ 10 9 — 10 4 cm -3 , T e ~ 10 — 0.5 K) are calculated. The electron temperature measurement from the population densities of Rydberg states (T C Killian et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 86, p. 3759, 2001) is shown to be described by the conventional three-body recombination theory with the inclusion of recombination heating of free electrons.
Signals of ultracold plasma are observed by two-photon ionization of laser-cooled caesium atoms in a magneto-optical trap. Recombination of ions and electrons into Rydberg atoms during the expansion of ultracold plasma is investigated by using state-selective field ionization spectroscopy. The dependences of recombination on initial electron temperature (1–70 K) and initial ion density (∼10 10 cm −3 ) are investigated. The measured dependence on initial ion density is N 1.547+0.004 at a delay time of 5 μs. The recombination rate rapidly declines as initial electron temperature increases when delay time is increased. The distributions of Rydberg atoms on different values of principal quantum number n, i.e. n = 30–60, at an initial electron temperature of 3.3 K are also investigated. The main experimental results are approximately explained by the three-body recombination theory.
Ultracold neutral plasmas, created by photoionizing samples of laser-cooled atoms, have well-controlled initial density and temperature parameters. With initial particle peak densities of ~10^15 m^-3, initial ion temperatures in the tens of micro-Kelvin range, and initial electron temperatures with a controllable range of 1-1000 K, these systems provide a means to study otherwise laboratory-inaccessible parameter ranges for plasma research. Furthermore, these plasmas are inhomogeneous, unconfined, and freely expanding into a vacuum. Despite the extraordinarily low electron temperatures, the electron system remains weakly coupled, although the ion system exhibits strong coupling behavior. While the initial electron temperatures are very low in ultracold plasmas, the temperature evolution has only been measured indirectly, in the earliest ~5% of the plasma lifetime, and often with large uncertainties. We present a technique that, with further theoretical support, can provide straightforward temperature measurements throughout the first fifth of the plasma lifetime. By making use of collective modes of the plasma, we fit a model of Tonks-Dattner resonances (electron sound wave propagating in the plasma) to measurements of these resonances and obtain a time-dependent electron temperature measurement for the ultracold plasma. Three-body recombination, a plasma loss process that has a rate scaling with the -9/2 power of the electron temperature, is of obvious interest in these ultracold plasma systems. Several theoretical works have predicted that the three-body recombination rate expression would need to be modified at these low electron temperatures, although the validity of these changes often hinges on the electron system being strongly coupled. We have performed the lowest temperature measurements of three-body recombination rates in a plasma and show that these measurements potentially provide a low-uncertainty means to calculate electron temperatures.
Rydberg atom formation is a source of heating in plasmas. The rate of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma was measured and electron temperature was derived from it using standard equilibrium recombination rates. With large-scale Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations, we have calculated ab initio the rate of excitation, de-excitation, ionization (and recombination) in electron-Rydberg atom collision and investigated the short-time dynamics of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma. Comparison with observed rates is quite good. Particular attention is paid to the low-frequency microfield effect on Rydberg state cut-off in the plasma.
Rydberg atom formation is a source of heating in plasmas. The rate of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma was measured and temperature for the plasma was extracted. With large-scale Monte Carlo and particle-in-cell simulations, we have ab initio calculated the rate of excitation, de-excitation, ionization (and recombination) in electron-Rydberg atom collision and investigated the short-time dynamics of three-body recombination in an ultracold neutral plasma. Comparison with observed rates is quite good. Particular attention is paid to the low-frequency microfield effect on Rydberg state cut-off in the plasma.
By photoionizing a sample of laser-cooled xenon atoms, we create ultracold neutral plasmas with initial temperatures of 1–1000 K and densities as high as 1010 cm−3. The plasma is formed by the trapping of electrons by the residual positive charge that is left after some electrons initially leave the sample. We excite plasma oscillations with applied radio frequency fields and use this to monitor the expansion of the unconfined plasma. We have observed significant recombination of the plasma into Rydberg atoms (up to 20%). At these low temperatures, the only traditional form of recombination that could be significant is three-body recombination (TBR), but we see a number of trends in direct contradiction to what one would expect from classical TBR theory.