Efficient three-photon excitation of quasi-1D $n\sim300$ strontium Rydberg atomsEfficient three-photon excitation of quasi-1D $n\sim300$ strontium Rydberg atoms

Xinyue Zhang, Shuzhen Ye, F. B. Dunning +3 more

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 3, 20140 citations

Selective excitation of Rydberg levels in atomic hydrogen by three photon absorption

Gary C. Bjorklund, Richard R. Freeman, Ralph Storz

Optics CommunicationsOct 1, 197926 citations

Creation, Control, and Detection of Rydberg Excitations in Ultracold Strontium

J. D. Whalen, Roger Ding, Francisco Camargo +3 more

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 9, 20150 citations

Lifetime measurements of highly excited Rydberg states of strontium I

Steffi Kunze, Ronald Hohmann, H.-J. Kluge +6 more

Zeitschrift für Physik D Atoms Molecules and ClustersJun 1, 199317 citations

Exciting and probing polarized strontium Rydberg atoms

Moritz Hiller, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdoerfer +3 more

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 6, 20130 citations

Excited state spatial distributions in a cold strontium gas

G. Lochead

This thesis describes the development of a new technique for measuring the spatial distribution of Rydberg atoms in a cold strontium gas. Strontium atoms are cooled and trapped in a magneto-optical trap and coherently excited to Rydberg states in a two-photon, three-level ladder scheme. Several methods of stabilizing the frequency to the cooling transition are discussed and characterized. A frequency stabilization scheme based on electromagnetically-induced transparency for the second laser required for Rydberg excitation is also explained. The Rydberg population dynamics are studied experimentally and modeled using an optical Bloch equation simulation. The divalent nature of strontium allows doubly excited “autoionizing” states to be accessed using resonant optical excitation. These states ionize in subnanosecond timescales, with the ions recorded on a micro-channel plate being proportional to the amount of Rydberg atoms. Translation of an autoionizing laser focused to a waist of 10 μm gives a spatially resolved Rydberg signal. A two-dimensional map of the Rydberg spatial distribution has been made using this autoionizing microscopy technique.This thesis describes the development of a new technique for measuring the spatial distribution of Rydberg atoms in a cold strontium gas. Strontium atoms are cooled and trapped in a magneto-optical trap and coherently excited to Rydberg states in a two-photon, three-level ladder scheme. Several methods of stabilizing the frequency to the cooling transition are discussed and characterized. A frequency stabilization scheme based on electromagnetically-induced transparency for the second laser required for Rydberg excitation is also explained. The Rydberg population dynamics are studied experimentally and modeled using an optical Bloch equation simulation. The divalent nature of strontium allows doubly excited “autoionizing” states to be accessed using resonant optical excitation. These states ionize in subnanosecond timescales, with the ions recorded on a micro-channel plate being proportional to the amount of Rydberg atoms. Translation of an autoionizing laser focused to a waist of 10 μm gives a spatially resolved Rydberg signal. A two-dimensional map of the Rydberg spatial distribution has been made using this autoionizing microscopy technique.

Jan 1, 20122 citations

Efficient three-photon excitation of quasi-1D

n\sim300

strontium Rydberg atoms