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Journal of Physics B Atomic and Molecular Physics

On the production of Rydberg atoms with large orbital angular momentum

D Richards

Published Apr 14, 1984• 19 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Rydberg atoms are usually produced with large principal quantum numbers, n>10, but with low orbital angular momentum quantum numbers, l<or=3. In this paper the authors show how a careful arrangement of weak electric fields can produce states of large orbital angular momentum, l approximately=n. Specifically, they show how a field which is switched on adiabatically, suddenly rotated through 90 degrees and then suddenly switched off after a specified time interval can produce large l states. The conditions to be satisfied by the field are defined and the effects of other field configurations are discussed. The analysis is based upon a classical model; where possible the significance of quantal effects is assessed.

DOI
10.1088/0022-3700/17/7/011

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Rydberg atoms are usually produced with large principal quantum numbers, n>10, but with low orbital angular momentum quantum numbers, l<or=3. In this paper the authors show how a careful arrangement of weak electric fields can produce states of large orbital angular momentum, l approximately=n. Specifically, they show how a field which is switched on adiabatically, suddenly rotated through 90 degrees and then suddenly switched off after a specified time interval can produce large l states. The conditions to be satisfied by the field are defined and the effects of other field configurations are discussed. The analysis is based upon a classical model; where possible the significance of quantal effects is assessed.
The authors describe and analyse an RF-optical technique for exciting alkali atoms in an atomic beam to a specific high angular momentum Rydberg state. In the procedure the Rydberg states are dressed by an RF field and two optical photons are used to excite the dressed state that goes adiabatically into the desired Rydberg state as the RF field is turned off. They describe in detail the excitation of the aligned-circular-orbit states. The states have the maximum angular momentum quantum numbers for a given principal quantum number, and thus are the most nearly classical of all eigenstates. It is shown that in excess of 90% of the excited state population can be put into the aligned-circular-orbit state.
Circular atoms, i.e., Rydberg atoms with maximum angular momentum, are semiclassical atoms of great interest for Rydberg constant metrology and QED tests. Following a suggestion by Delande and Gay, we have prepared circular atoms by a new method, involving the adiabatic switching of crossed electric and magnetic fields. The method, which is demonstrated for Rydberg states of lithium (principal quantum number n=20to25n=20 \mathrm{to} 25n=20to25, is applicable over a wide variety of experiment conditions.
Abstract Influence of a weak electric field on the coherent Rydberg resonances was studied on two-photon transitions 2S–nD by recording the resonance fluorescence of lithium atoms in a magneto-optical trap. It was observed that an isolated spectral line 2P–nD transferred to the spectral band width growing with a principal number n (or an electric field E). It was shown that the frequency tuning of a resonant radiation on the left (right) edge of the band allows to create a gas of Rydberg atoms with fixed and large dipole moments d ∝ ea 0 n 2 (e is the elementary charge, a 0 is the Bohr radius), oriented against (along) the electric field. The radiation frequency was tuned on the center of the band would produced atomic states with zero dipole moments, but with a big contribution of states with maximum angular momentum quantum number l ~ n.
High angular momentum Rydberg states of atoms in strong magnetic fields or in strong magnetic and weak crossed electric fields correspond to classical regular drift trajectories around the positive ion core. The motion can be adiabatically separated in a fast cyclotron motion, an oscillation in magnetic field direction, and a slow drift motion. Some of the drift trajectories display huge electric-dipole moments induced by the weak electric field. Corresponding atomic drift states with large electric dipole moments are theoretically predicted. In the experiment drift states are excited by an optical one-photon transition. The excitation of drift-state atoms is very efficient in the vicinity of anti-crossings between Rydberg states with large photoexcitation cross section and drift states. The drift-state atoms are separated from other Rydberg atoms via electric-dipole deflection in an inhomogeneous electric field. The size of the observed dipole moments agrees quite well with theoretical values.
This paper is devoted to the autoionization process of large-angular-momentum Rydberg states. After a brief account of autoionization formalism in nonrelativistic theory and single-configuration approximation, we apply it to atomic states with one electron of large angular momentum. The dominant contribution is the direct one and the exchange contribution is ignored. In this framework, the autoionization width varies with the principal quantum number as ${n}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}3}$ and exponentially with the angular momentum. When two excited electrons interact with a spherically symmetric core, it is demonstrated that the interaction between the Rydberg electron and the core polarized by the valence electron is proportional to the interaction between the two active electrons. Using newly derived radial matrix elements, we obtain a generally good agreement between our results and experiments on barium and strontium. Large-l Rydberg states are shown to be stable versus autoionization as soon as l is about 7. Possible refinements of our method are reviewed.