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Interaction of xenon Rydberg atoms near a metallic surface in an electric field

Chris Oubre

Published Jan 1, 2003• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

We investigate the interaction of a xenon Rydberg atom with a metallic surface in an electric field. We also present a Stark map for xenon Rydberg atoms. The xenon Rydberg atom is modeled using a pseudopotential fitted to experimentally obtained quantum defects. We show that several xenon levels exhibit avoided crossings with the application of a DC electric field. Additional avoided crossings occur as the xenon Rydberg atom approaches a surface. These avoided crossings lead to mixing between levels of different principal quantum number n. Nonadiabatic transition through these avoided crossings can explain recent results involving ionization of state-selected xenon Rydberg atoms near a metal surface.

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We investigate the interaction of a xenon Rydberg atom with a metallic surface in an electric field. We also present a Stark map for xenon Rydberg atoms. The xenon Rydberg atom is modeled using a pseudopotential fitted to experimentally obtained quantum defects. We show that several xenon levels exhibit avoided crossings with the application of a DC electric field. Additional avoided crossings occur as the xenon Rydberg atom approaches a surface. These avoided crossings lead to mixing between levels of different principal quantum number n. Nonadiabatic transition through these avoided crossings can explain recent results involving ionization of state-selected xenon Rydberg atoms near a metal surface.
The ionization of xenon Rydberg atoms at metallic surfaces is examined. The data show that, when the effects of stray electric ``patch'' fields present on the surface are taken into account, ionization is well described by a simple over-the-barrier model. The patch fields are determined from direct measurements of the potential variations across the target surfaces using Kelvin probe force microscopy. Monte Carlo techniques are used to model the atom-surface interaction. The results confirm the important role that patch fields can play during Rydberg atom-surface interactions and suggest that such interactions can provide a sensitive probe of stray fields at surfaces.
The ionization of xenon Rydberg atoms at metallic surfaces is examined. The data show that, when the effects of stray electric "patch" fields present on the surface are taken into account, ionization is well described by a simple over-the-barrier model. The patch fields are determined from direct measurements of the potential variations across the target surfaces using Kelvin probe force microscopy. Monte Carlo techniques are used to model the atom-surface interaction. The results confirm the important role that patch fields can play during Rydberg atom-surface interactions and suggest that such interactions can provide a sensitive probe of stray fields at surfaces. To demonstrate this, measurements of the threshold conditions required to observe ions resulting from surface ionization are used to estimate how large such stray fields can be. The data show that the stray fields can be sizable, as large as ∼ 10 3 V · cm -1 100 nm from the surface and ∼ 10 V · cm -1 500 nm from the surface, and illustrate the potential of Rydberg atoms for detecting and characterizing surface electric fields. Methods to enhance the surface ionization signal using electrode arrays patterned on a surface are investigated. Simulations show that bias voltages applied to a series of parallel wires comprised of two interleaved comb-shaped electrodes can have a dramatic impact on ion collection efficiency. It is suggested that such a surface can be used to efficiently collect low- n Rydberg atoms ( n [Special characters omitted.] 10). Significant progress towards fabrication of a functioning surface of 1 μm wide wires with 1 μm spacing is documented.
The behavior of Rydberg atoms near metal surfaces in the presence of an external electric field has been examined theoretically to evaluate their potential use as an experimental probe of electron tunneling processes at surfaces. These ab initio calculations reveal strong hybridization that leads to a shift and broadening of the Rydberg levels that depend sensitively on the atom-surface separation and the strength of the applied electric field. A range of external fields exists, however, for which the Rydberg atoms ionize at sufficiently large atom-surface separations that, even in the presence of image charge attraction, the resulting positive ions can escape the surface and provide an experimentally observable signal. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
The behavior of Rydberg atoms near metal surfaces in the presence of an external electric field has been examined theoretically to evaluate their potential use as an experimental probe of electron tunneling processes at surfaces. These ab initio calculations reveal strong hybridization that leads to a shift and broadening of the Rydberg levels that depend sensitively on the atom-surface separation and the strength of the applied electric field. A range of external fields exists, however, for which the Rydberg atoms ionize at sufficiently large atom-surface separations that, even in the presence of image charge attraction, the resulting positive ions can escape the surface and provide an experimentally observable signal. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
We have measured the locations and widths of the avoided level crossings between (n+3)s states and n,k Stark states in Rydberg Rb atoms with principal quantum numbers n between 16 and 25. We use two-step laser excitation to excite (n+3)s states in the presence of an electric field and observe a change in the number of atoms driven to higher-lying states by blackbody radiation as the electric field is tuned through the avoided level crossings. We have measured both the positions and widths of the avoided crossings. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.
The Stark effect of ultra-cold Cs Rydberg atom is investigated in a magneto-optical trap, and the avoided crossing between nS state and (n-4) manifold is observed. The ion spectrum near the avoided crossing is obtained by using state-selective field pulse ionization technique. By changing the intensity of the applied electric field, we find that the relative intensities of two Stark states near the avoided crossing exchange obviously. Furthermore, state transfer from nS Rydberg state to high-l state due to the avoided crossing is also obtained.