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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Designing Rydberg wavepackets using trains of half-cycle pulses

Carlos O Reinhold, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer, B. E. Tannian, C. L. Stokely, F. B. Dunning

Published Aug 10, 2001• 17 citations
Publisher

Abstract

A technique for generating Rydberg wavepackets in preferred target states is demonstrated that exploits the mixed phase space structure of the periodically `kicked' Rydberg atom. Experimental data and classical simulations for very-high- n Rydberg atoms are presented that show that application of a train of equispaced, unidirectional half-cycle pulses can lead to localization of the final wavepacket in classical stable islands. The product wavepackets are examined using a delayed half-cycle probe pulse. It is demonstrated that the motion of the wavepackets is either quasiperiodic or random depending on whether or not the initial state of the atom overlaps a stable island.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/34/17/101

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Physical Review Letters•Dec 20, 2006•16 citations
A technique for generating Rydberg wavepackets in preferred target states is demonstrated that exploits the mixed phase space structure of the periodically `kicked' Rydberg atom. Experimental data and classical simulations for very-high- n Rydberg atoms are presented that show that application of a train of equispaced, unidirectional half-cycle pulses can lead to localization of the final wavepacket in classical stable islands. The product wavepackets are examined using a delayed half-cycle probe pulse. It is demonstrated that the motion of the wavepackets is either quasiperiodic or random depending on whether or not the initial state of the atom overlaps a stable island.
We present protocols for steering a Rydberg wave packet towards a preferred region in phase space using a train of half-cycle pulses. Developing such protocols is aided by classical phase space portraits. The classical phase space changes its structure as the frequency and the strength of a train of pulses are modulated. The quantum wave packet can be made to follow such a change. The movement of the wave packet can thus be controlled by a proper modulation of the perturbation. In addition, this technique can be used to create a focused wave packet or to transfer it from one island to another associated with a different quasi-periodic motion.
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.
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.
Localized wavepackets are created in high- n ( n ~ 300) Rydberg atoms which travel in near-circular orbits around the nucleus. Application of carefully tailored electric fields to quasi-1D Rydberg atoms creates coherent superpositions of Stark states with near extreme values of one of the components of the angular momentum. Half-cycle electric field pulses (HCPs) probe the dynamics of the circular states producing signature oscillations in survival probability that correspond to the expected wavepacket evolution. Although these wavepackets slowly dephase and lose their localization, their motion can be followed for several orbits and provides an analog of the original Bohr model, i.e., an electron in circular classical orbit around the nucleus. Measurements of the asymmetry in survival probability with increasing probe strength at different phases of the orbit confirm orbital motion of the wavepacket. Classical trajectory Monte-Carlo simulations (CTMC) agree with experimental results, and provide promising leads for future studies.
Encouraged by the experiments on production of antihydrogen atoms in high Rydberg states we have calculated the effect of deexcitation towards lower states by a chirped train of identical unidirectional half-cycle pulses. The calculations exploit both the one-dimensional and impulse approximations providing convenient analytical formulas for the Rydberg-to-Rydberg transition amplitudes. The calculated deexcitation is shown in terms of the mean value of localization of the Rydberg wave packet in the coordinate space, the Rydberg-state population distribution, the Husimi phase-space distribution function, and the probability density distribution, each of these measures vs the length of the applied train of half-cycle pulses. The results for chirped trains are compared with those for periodic trains and examples of higher deexcitation efficiency of the chirped trains are given.
The ability to localize and to steer Rydberg wave packets in phase space using tailored sequences of half-cycle pulses is demonstrated. Classical phase-space portraits are used to explain the method and to illustrate the level of control that can be achieved. This is confirmed experimentally by positioning a phase-space-localized wave packet at the center of a stable island or navigating it around its periphery. This work provides a valuable starting point for further engineering of electronic wave functions.