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Physical Review A

Atom-optical gratings induced by multiphoton excitation of electronic Rydberg wave packets

G. Alber, Walter T. Strunz

Published Nov 1, 1994• 5 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The formation of atom-optical gratings induced by multiphoton excitation of Rydberg states is discussed for fast atoms. With the help of semiclassical path-integral methods the correlation between the dynamics of a laser-excited Rydberg electron and the momentum transferred to the atomic center of mass in a spatially modulated laser field is exhibited quantitatively. These types of laser excitation processes might offer new perspectives for the realization of atomic multiple beam splitters and for atom-lithographic applications.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.50.r3577

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The formation of atom-optical gratings induced by multiphoton excitation of Rydberg states is discussed for fast atoms. With the help of semiclassical path-integral methods the correlation between the dynamics of a laser-excited Rydberg electron and the momentum transferred to the atomic center of mass in a spatially modulated laser field is exhibited quantitatively. These types of laser excitation processes might offer new perspectives for the realization of atomic multiple beam splitters and for atom-lithographic applications.
The momentum exchange between a standing wave laser field and an atomic center-of-mass is dominated by the internal dynamics of an atomic electron in the exciting laser field. Rydberg atoms are one of the simplest physical systems where the dependence of this radiative force on the electronic dynamics can be investigated in detail. The characteristics of the momentum transfer between an atomic center-of-mass and a standing wave laser field strongly depend on whether the “particle” or the “wave” aspect of the electronic dynamics prevail. In this review recent theoretical advances in the description of the mechanical action of laser light on Rydberg atoms are discussed. These advances have become possible by the application of semiclassical path integral techniques with respect to the electronic dynamics which clearly exhibit the “particle” and “wave” aspects of this momentum transfer.
The influence of laser-induced two-electron excitation processes on the deflection of atoms by a standing-wave laser field is investigated. In particular, isolated-core excitation processes are studied in which, after preparing one valence electron as an electronic Rydberg wave packet, the core electron is driven resonantly by the standing wave. The dynamics of the two electrons are entangled through laser-induced electron correlation effects. A theoretical approach is developed that clearly exhibits the intricate interplay between these correlation effects and the atomic center-of-mass motion that originates from the stimulated light force. Various examples are analyzed that show the manifestations of this interplay in the diffraction pattern of a deflected atom.
It is shown that semiclassical path representations provide a well-suited framework for the description of the diffraction of Rydberg atoms by laser light. They allow one to relate the momentum exchange between the atomic center-of-mass motion and the laser field directly to elementary laser-assisted collisions between the excited Rydberg electron and the ionic core. Thus besides a convenient calculational tool they provide also direct physical insight into the underlying internal dynamics of the Rydberg atoms.
We develop and study quantum and semiclassical models of Rydberg-atom spectroscopy in amplitude-modulated optical lattices. Both initial- and target-state Rydberg atoms are trapped in the lattice. Unlike in other spectroscopic schemes, the modulation-induced ponderomotive coupling between the Rydberg states is spatially periodic and perfectly phase-locked to the lattice trapping potentials. This leads to a type of sub-Doppler mechanism which we explain in detail. In our exact quantum model, we solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in the product space of center-of-mass (COM) momentum states and the internal-state space. We also develop a perturbative model based on the band structure in the lattice and Fermi's golden rule, as well as a semiclassical trajectory model in which the COM is treated classically and the internal-state dynamics quantum-mechanically. In all models we obtain the spectrum of the target Rydberg-state population versus the lattice modulation frequency, averaged over the initial thermal COM momentum distribution of the atoms. We investigate the quantum-classical correspondence of the problem in several parameter regimes and exhibit spectral features that arise from vibrational COM coherences and rotary-echo effects. Applications in Rydberg-atom spectroscopy are discussed.
The short-pulse dynamics of excitation and stimulated emission between highly excited states (15<n<60)(15<n<60)(15<n<60) is studied with picosecond far-infrared pulses (40--60 $\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{m}$) originating from a free electron laser. We measured the excitation of a Rydberg wave packet in rubidium around n=40n=40n=40 excited from a deeper bound $(n\ensuremath{\approx}20)$ Rydberg state by a picosecond far-infrared laser pulse. Moreover, starting from a stationary n=40n=40n=40 state we found that upon irradiating with a short far-infrared laser pulse, adjacent Rydberg states are populated by resonant Raman transfer via a deeper (n=20)(n=20)(n=20) bound state. Finally, we discuss the dynamics of wave-packet excitation at a Cooper minimum in lithium, where sign change of the excitation matrix elements causes excitation at large distances from the atomic core. Possible measurement methods for this effect are discussed and found to yield different information.
Continuum–continuum, bound–bound, bound–free, and free–bound atomic field-induced transitions are investigated. The initial atomic state is supposed to be given by a wave packet of coherently populated levels of continuous or discrete spectra. Interference effects were found to increase the probabilities of these types of transition and to change their dependence on the pulse duration τ. Interference is shown to occur also in the two-photon ionization probability with highly excited Rydberg levels as intermediate states. Criteria of applicability of the energy diffusion model are formulated. The different diffusion criteria are shown to be incompatible with each other, owing particularly to described interference effects. An alternative picture of multiphoton excitation is suggested. This picture is similar to the above-threshold ionization and predicts the appearance of some maxima in the spectrum of excited electrons below the ionization threshold.