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Physical Review A

Pulsed field ionization of Rydberg atoms

F. Robicheaux

Published Nov 1, 1997• 26 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Fully quantum and classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations are performed for a Rydberg alkali-metal atom that is kicked by a pulsed electric field. The two calculations are compared to recent experimental results through the ionization probability versus peak field strength. The energy distributions of the final electrons are compared between the two calculations. There is a qualitative difference between the classical and quantum momentum distributions which is measurable in principle. An experiment to detect the time-dependent precession of the orbital angular momentum in Cs is also proposed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.56.r3358

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•Jan 1, 2008•0 citations
Fully quantum and classical trajectory Monte Carlo calculations are performed for a Rydberg alkali-metal atom that is kicked by a pulsed electric field. The two calculations are compared to recent experimental results through the ionization probability versus peak field strength. The energy distributions of the final electrons are compared between the two calculations. There is a qualitative difference between the classical and quantum momentum distributions which is measurable in principle. An experiment to detect the time-dependent precession of the orbital angular momentum in Cs is also proposed.
The ionization of potassium np Rydberg atoms with n∼388n\sim388n∼388 by pulsed unidirectional electric fields, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), with various well-characterized shapes (rectangular, triangular, and sawtooth) and durations $T\sb{p}$ comparable to the classical electron orbital period $T\sb{n}$ is investigated. The experimental results are compared to classical trajectory Monte Carlo (CTMC) simulations and the classically-scaled results of quantum calculations undertaken at n=5.n=5.n=5. The data show that in the intermediate regime, $T\sb{p}\sim T\sb{n},$ the threshold field for ionization becomes sensitive to the shape and rise time of the HCP, increasing with increasing rise time. For each pulse shape, the agreement between the experimental measurements and both the CTMC and quantum calculations is very good.
We study the ionization of Rydberg atoms in a single-cycle-pulse electric field based on both classical and quantum calculations. The ionization-probability curve exhibits a ``ripple'' structure as a function of the pulse duration and the field amplitude. These ripple structures are found to be dependent on the angular distribution of the initial state. A large electron-emission asymmetry is observed, and the ionized electron is almost completely emitted to one side of the atom except when the pulse length is roughly one Rydberg period. In both the long-pulse and the short-pulse regimes, larger electron energy can be expected from the ionization of lower-lying Rydberg states, matching the observation in a recent experiment [S. Li and R. R. Jones, Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 143006 (2014)]. This trend is closely related to the electron-emission asymmetry associated with the field-direction change in a single-cycle pulse. The possible implications of the different energy transfer in a single-cycle pulse from that in a multicycle pulse are also discussed briefly for the strong-field ionization of the ground atomic state.
Rydberg atoms are traditionally alkali metal atoms with their valence electron excited to a state of very large principle quantum number. They possess exaggerated properties, and are consequently an attractive area of study for physicists. An example of their exaggerated properties is seen in their response to the presence of an applied electric field. In this work, we study the energy distribution of Rydberg atoms when subjected to a dynamic electric field intended to ionize them. We excite 85Rb atoms to a superposition of the 46D5/2 |mj| = 1/2 and |mj| = 3/2 states in the presence of a small initial electric field. After a delay time, the electric field is pulsed in order to ionize the atoms. The current produced by the ejected electrons is measured. Calculations and experimental data are presented which display interference effects between the amplitude from the components of the initial superposition.
A technique to manipulate the -state distribution of high- n Rydberg atoms is described that is based on the application of a large-amplitude rectangular electric field pulse whose rise and fall times are short compared to the classical electron orbital period and whose duration is comparable to the Stark period in the field. It is shown that by varying the duration (and/or amplitude) of this pulse, the final -state distribution can be controlled and that this distribution can be calculated reliably using classical trajectory Monte Carlo techniques.
Transitions between states with the same principal quantum number n in the collision of a Rydberg atom with an ion are described within the classical approximation for the Rydberg electron. The quantum electron state is represented by an ensemble of classical trajectories. Within the dipole approximation for the interaction the final value of the orbital momentum l is calculated analytically for each initial trajectory in the ensemble. Averaging over the ensemble gives the distribution function over l. For the initial s state of the Rydberg atom the distribution functions are found also for the pairs of variables, namely: {the angular momentum; its projection on the collision velocity}; {projections of the angular momentum and the Runge - Lenz vector on the collision velocity} and {projections of the angular momentum and the Runge - Lenz vector on the plane perpendicular to the collision velocity}. The l-distributions for the orbitally polarized initial p and d Rydberg states with definite projections of the initial angular momentum on the velocity axis are also obtained. The influence of the non-Coulomb core is taken into account by an approximation. The final l-distributions (calculated for the initial s-state) are shifted towards the large-l values as the relative collision velocity vn decreases. Good agreement is achieved with the recent experimental data for Na(28d) and Na(26d) Rydberg atoms.
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.