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Contemporary Physics

Recent experiments involving highly excited atoms

Colin J. Latimer

Published Nov 1, 1979• 21 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Very large and fragile atoms may be produced by exciting normal atoms with light or by collisions with other atomic particles. Atoms as large as 10−6 m are now routinely produced in the laboratory and their properties studied. In this review some of the simpler experimental methods available for the production and detection of such atoms are described including tunable dye laser-excitation and field ionization. A few recent experiments which illustrate the collision properties and the effects of electric and magnetic fields are also described. The relevance of highly excited atoms in other areas of research including radioastronomy and isotope separation are discussed.

DOI
10.1080/00107517908210930

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Very large and fragile atoms may be produced by exciting normal atoms with light or by collisions with other atomic particles. Atoms as large as 10−6 m are now routinely produced in the laboratory and their properties studied. In this review some of the simpler experimental methods available for the production and detection of such atoms are described including tunable dye laser-excitation and field ionization. A few recent experiments which illustrate the collision properties and the effects of electric and magnetic fields are also described. The relevance of highly excited atoms in other areas of research including radioastronomy and isotope separation are discussed.
Highly excited (Rydberg) atoms are produced and can exist for significant periods of time in various plasma environments. It is necessary to know cross sections for the various collision processes involving these atoms if a complete understanding of the physics of these environments is to be attained.\nThe experimental investigation of collisional phenomena between high Rydberg sodium atoms and electrons is described in this thesis. A fraction of the atoms in a ground state sodium beam is optically excited (using lasers) to well-defined, high Rydberg states (principal quantum numbers chosen around 40). Subsequent to their production the Rydberg atoms are allowed to interact with 25 eV electrons for a specified time interval following which the collision products are detected. The electrons are produced in a beam which is crossed at right angles with the sodium beam. Important collision processes are (1) electron impact ionization of the Rydberg atom, and (2) electron-Rydberg atom interactions in which the quantum state of the atom is changed (state changing collisions).\nResults are presented for an observed state changing process which is identified as angular momentum state changing only (no change in the value of the principal quantum number). Cross sections for this process are measured to be 10('-10) to 10('-9) cm('2). Problems encountered during the work which prevented the measurement of electron impact ionization cross sections are discussed. In the course of the work two other topics required study: (1) the process of electric field ionization of Rydberg atoms (used to detect the atoms), and (2) the effects of background (300 K) radiation (from the chamber walls, for example) on Rydberg atoms. Results of these studies are also presented.
The capability of manipulating neutral atoms with the force of resonant scattered laser light is being exploited in several different areas of research. The author discusses applications in particle and nuclear physics by expediting some measurements of the subtle effects of the fundamental weak interaction in atoms and nuclei. It was shown in two recent experiments that it is possible to efficiently cool accelerator produced short-lived isotopes and load them into magneto-optic traps. These demonstrations open up new possibilities for obtaining the required precision in experiments involving rare radioactive isotopes.
Although the hydrogen atom has naturally served as the basis for extensive theoretical studies of the physics of highly excited atoms in strong external fields, experiments with this fundamentally important species in magnetic fields have not been reported, except for the most recent ones carried out in our laboratory.1,2 We report new results of studies on the spectroscopy of the atom in static homogeneous magnetic fields of strength B ≲ 6 T at excitation energies from high Rydberg states (n ≳ 20) into the ionization region (E ≲ +30 cm−1).
The major accomplishment under this contract was the innovation of techniques for the production and detection of highly excited atoms (Rydberg atoms), and a series of studies on the properties of Rydberg atoms in strong electric fields. Partly as a result of this work, the study of Rydberg systems has developed into an important new subfield of atomic physics during the past few years; already there have been two international meetings and several sessions at national meetings devoted to the subject. Much of the experimental work uses the combination of field ionization and atomic beams techniques developed under this contract. (Author)
Multiphoton ionization (MPI) of alkali atoms has played a pivotal role in our understanding of the interaction of intense electromagnetic radiation with matter. The "hydrogen-like" energy levels and absence of low-lying autoionizing states make the alkali atom theoretically tractable. The low ionization potential of these atomic species and the ease with which one can produce atomic beams of alkali atoms facilitate the experimental studies. Many of the early MPI studies involved high-powered fixed-frequency lasers. Presently, the availability of tunable dye lasers with wavelength extension (i.e., frequency doubling, Raman shifting, etc.) makes it possible to study one- to six-photon ionization of the alkali atom with continuously tunable radiation. Also, harmonic generation in these systems which may be present during ionization can be recorded more easily than in other systems since the radiation generated is in the visible or near ultraviolet spectral region. The ability to tune the laser to high Rydberg states with even or odd numbers of photons accesses electronic states of both parities. Stepwise excitation is capable of selectively producing states of high orbital angular momentum. Experiments in which highly excited states are produced in external electric or magnetic fields allow one to test fundamental ideas about the electron–Coulomb system in the quasi–continuum.3