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Quantum Electronics and Laser Science Conference

Spontaneous evolution of rydberg atoms to a cold plasma

Michael Robinson, B. Laburthe-Tolra, Michael W. Noel, Thomas F. Gallagher, P. Pillet

Published May 12, 2000• 1 citation
OpenAlex

Abstract

We have observed the spontaneous evolution of a dense samples of Rb and Cs Rydberg atoms into a cold plasma when most of the atoms are cold, but ~ 5% are at room temperature.

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We have observed the spontaneous evolution of a dense sample of Rydberg atoms into an ultracold plasma, in spite of the fact that each of the atoms may initially be bound by up to 100 cm(-1). When the atoms are initially bound by 70 cm(-1), this evolution occurs when most of the atoms are translationally cold, <1 mK, but a small fraction, approximately 1%, is at room temperature. Ionizing collisions between hot and cold Rydberg atoms and blackbody photoionization produce an essentially stationary cloud of cold ions, which traps electrons produced later. The trapped electrons rapidly collisionally ionize the remaining cold Rydberg atoms to form a cold plasma.
Dense samples of cold Rydberg atoms have previously been observed to spontaneously evolve to a plasma, despite the fact that each atom may be bound by as much as $100\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$. Initially, ionization is caused by blackbody photoionization and Rydberg-Rydberg collisions. After the first electrons leave the interaction region, the net positive charge traps subsequent electrons. As a result, rapid ionization starts to occur after $1\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\mu}\mathrm{s}$ caused by electron-Rydberg collisions. The resulting cold plasma expands slowly and persists for tens of microseconds. While the initial report on this process identified the key issues described above, it failed to resolve one key aspect of the evolution process. Specifically, redistribution of population to Rydberg states other than the one initially populated was not observed, a necessary mechanism to maintain the energy balance in the system. Here we report new and expanded observations showing such redistribution and confirming theoretical predictions concerning the evolution to a plasma. These measurements also indicate that, for high nnn states of purely cold Rydberg samples, the initial ionization process which leads to electron trapping is one involving the interactions between Rydberg atoms.
From the current ultracold plasma research, it is clear that the collective effects on this plasma have not been researched sufficiently. There is some recombination of electrons and positive ions into Rydberg states. In three body recombination, two electrons and a positive ion recombine to create a Rydberg atom and an electron, but this electron is a hotter electron. This electron causes the plasma to beat, and then the plasma coupling parameter would decrease away from one like in the conventional plasma. So then the question becomes whether or not we can use Rydberg atoms to coo] the plasmas. This would be done through using a second excitation at a different frequency.