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Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics

Decoherence of high-ℓ Rydberg wave packets

B. Wyker, S Ye, Tristan McKinney, F. B. Dunning, S. Yoshida, Carlos O Reinhold, Joachim Burgdörfer

Published Sep 14, 2011• 2 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Quantum revivals in very-high-n (n ~ 300) high-l Rydberg wave packets generated from parent np states are used to examine decoherence induced by the application of 'coloured' noise from a random pulse generator and by collisions. In the absence of external perturbations, the high-l wave packets maintain their coherence for periods ~ 1 µs, i.e. for many hundreds of orbits. This coherence can be destroyed on sub-microsecond timescales by the application of even very small amounts of electrical noise at a rate that depends markedly on the spectral characteristics of the noise. In contrast, measurements over similar timescales with CO2 target gas densities of ~ 1011 cm−3 provided no evidence of collisional dephasing. The mechanisms responsible for decoherence are discussed with the aid of classical and quantum simulations. The results of these simulations are in good accord with the experimental data.

DOI
10.1088/0953-4075/44/18/184002

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Quantum revivals in very-high-n (n ~ 300) high-l Rydberg wave packets generated from parent np states are used to examine decoherence induced by the application of 'coloured' noise from a random pulse generator and by collisions. In the absence of external perturbations, the high-l wave packets maintain their coherence for periods ~ 1 µs, i.e. for many hundreds of orbits. This coherence can be destroyed on sub-microsecond timescales by the application of even very small amounts of electrical noise at a rate that depends markedly on the spectral characteristics of the noise. In contrast, measurements over similar timescales with CO2 target gas densities of ~ 1011 cm−3 provided no evidence of collisional dephasing. The mechanisms responsible for decoherence are discussed with the aid of classical and quantum simulations. The results of these simulations are in good accord with the experimental data.
High angular momentum Rydberg wave packets are studied. Application of carefully tailored electric fields to low angular momentum, high- n ( n ∼ 300) Rydberg atoms creates coherent superpositions of Stark states with near extreme values of angular momentum, [cursive l]. Wave packet components orbit the parent nucleus at rates that depend on their energy, leading to periods of localization and delocalization as the components come into and go out of phase with each other. Monitoring survival probability signals in the presence of position dependent probing leads to observation of characteristic oscillations based on the composition of the wave packet. The discrete nature of electron energy levels is observed through the measurement of quantum revivals in the wave packet localization signal. Time-domain spectroscopy of these signals allows determination of both the population and phase of individual superposition components. Precise manipulation of wave packets is achieved through further application of pulsed electric fields. Decoherence effects due to background gas collisions and electrical noise are also detailed. Quantized classical trajectory Monte-Carlo simulations are introduced and agree remarkably well with experimental results.
We demonstrate that the quantum coherence of mesoscopic very-high- n , n ∼305, Rydberg wave packets travelling along nearly circular orbits can be maintained on microsecond time scales corresponding to hundreds of classical orbital periods. The coherence is probed through collapses and revivals of periodic oscillations in the average electron position. The temporal interferences of spatially separated Schrödinger cat-like wave packets are also observed. A novel hybrid quantum–classical trajectory method is employed to simulate the wave packet dynamics.
The time evolution of Stark wave packets in Rydberg atoms under the influence of colored noise is analyzed. The Stark wave packets are generated by exposing K(350p)K(350p)K(350p) Rydberg atoms to an electric field step. Their time evolution is monitored using a half-cycle probe pulse that is applied after a variable time delay. The noise is generated by randomly modulating the amplitude of the static field. We show that noise results in an enhanced and irreversible dephasing of Stark quantum beats, as monitored by the damping of the beat amplitude. This source of decoherence is most effective when the characteristic frequency of the noise power spectrum matches the orbital frequency of the Rydberg electron. Noise driven resonant $\ensuremath{\Delta}n=1$ transitions broaden the energy distribution thereby accelerating the dephasing.
We examine the revival structure of Rydberg wave packets. These wave packets exhibit initial classical periodic motion followed by a sequence of collapse, fractional/full revivals, and fractional/full superrevivals. The effects of quantum defects on wave packets in alkali-metal atoms and a squeezed-state description of the initial wave packets are also described. We then examine the revival structure of Rydberg wave packets in the presence of an external electric field, i.e., the revival structure of Stark wave packets. These wave packets have energies that depend on two quantum numbers and exhibit new types of interference behavior.