Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics
Electron beam from oriented Rydberg atoms irradiated by a half-cycle pulse
Imants Bersons, Y Korovin
Abstract
The angular and energy distributions of electrons emitted from Rydberg atoms prepared in the extreme Stark state and irradiated by a short half-cycle pulse are calculated in the framework of quantum-mechanical and semiclassical theories. It is supposed that the pulse direction coincides with the direction of orientation of atoms. The emitted electrons are concentrated in a small angle around the direction of orientation of the Rydberg atoms. Semiclassical theory shows that the width of the angular distribution scales as 1/qn3/2 and decreases with increase of either the principal quantum number n of the initial state or the momentum q transferred to the electron.