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Physical Review A

Electric field ionization of highly excited sodium nd atoms

THOMAS H. JEYS, G. B. McMillian, K. A. Smith, F. B. Dunning, R. F. Stebbings

Published Jul 1, 1982• 32 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Selective field ionization (SFI) is frequently used to detect atoms in high Rydberg states and to analyze Rydberg population distributions. In order to realize the full potential of this technique, however, a detailed understanding of the behavior of Rydberg atoms during passage from low to ionizing fields is required. The factors influencing this passage are discussed quantitatively and are illustrated by means of detailed SFI data obtained for $\mathrm{Na}34d$ atoms.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.26.335

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Utilizing the technique of high resolution selective field ionization it is possible to observe ionization structure as narrow as 2 V/cm for Na(nS,nD) atoms. Field ionization structure this narrow is characteristic of atoms evolving predominantly adiabatically in a rapidly increasing electric field. By increasing the slew rate of the applied field it is possible to induce departures from the adiabatic path at specific avoided level crossings. These departures result in multiple ionization thresholds which may be explained by arguments based on a simple quantum mechanical model of adiabatic field ionization.

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Selective field ionization (SFI) is frequently used to detect atoms in high Rydberg states and to analyze Rydberg population distributions. In order to realize the full potential of this technique, however, a detailed understanding of the behavior of Rydberg atoms during passage from low to ionizing fields is required. The factors influencing this passage are discussed quantitatively and are illustrated by means of detailed SFI data obtained for Na34d\mathrm{Na}34dNa34d atoms.
The outer electron of a Rydberg atom is so weakly bound to the atomic core that a relatively small electric field may cause the electron to be stripped from the atom. The field strength at which this ionization happens is strongly dependent on the state of the Rydberg atom. Pulsed electric field ionization serves, therefore, not only as a means by which a Rydberg atom may be efficiently detected, but also a means by which the state of the Rydberg atom may be analyzed.\nThe first observation of predominantly diabatic passage to field ionization of a non-hydrogenic Rydberg atom has resulted in an improved understanding of the adiabatic and diabatic ionization processes. The magnitudes of the various field ionization features have been measured and found to agree with theory, and by detailed analysis, it is now possible to label the various field ionization signal features with the appropriate (VBAR)m(,l)(VBAR) quantum numbers. A much better understanding of the laser excitation process, the Rydberg state production, and the response of the excited state to an increasing electric field has enabled measurement of some Rydberg fine-structure intervals, through observation of field ionization quantum beats.
The excited products of collisions between xenon atoms and Na(nd)\mathrm{Na}(\mathrm{nd})Na(nd) atoms with n=37n=37n=37 and n=42n=42n=42 have been investigated by use of selective field ionization (SFI). It is observed that, at an ionizing-field slew rate of \ensuremath{\sim} 109{10}^{9}109 V/cm sec, most of the collision products follow predominantly diabatic paths to ionization which occurs at field strengths consistent with those predicted by quantum mechanical tunneling calculations. Detailed analysis of the SFI data indicates that the collision products have a wide (possibly complete) range of values of lll and mj{m}_{j}mj​, although it is not clear whether the observed distribution results from single or multiple collisions. No evidence of nnn-changing collisions was seen. Similar data for collisions involving Xe(nf)\mathrm{Xe}(\mathrm{nf})Xe(nf) atoms are briefly discussed.
We have observed the selective ionization of the degenerate ∣mj∣|{m}_{j}|∣mj​∣ levels of sss, ppp, and ddd states of sodium in the range of nnn from 15 to 20 and have shown that atoms produced in these low-field (\ensuremath{\sim} 10 V/cm) states pass adiabatically from low-field ∣mj∣|{m}_{j}|∣mj​∣ to intermediate-field ∣ml∣|{m}_{l}|∣ml​∣ states. Experiments on the Stark manifold states in intermediate fields (\ensuremath{\sim} 1 kV/cm) and high fields (\ensuremath{\sim} 4 kV/cm) show that the ∣ml∣=0and1|{m}_{l}|=0 \mathrm{and} 1∣ml​∣=0and1 states pass adiabatically from intermediate- to high-field states and that the passage of the ∣ml∣=2|{m}_{l}|=2∣ml​∣=2 states is very nearly adiabatic. These findings suggest a general approach for predicting the threshold fields for ionization of atomic Rydberg states.
Utilizing the technique of high resolution selective field ionization it is possible to observe ionization structure as narrow as 2 V/cm for Na(nS,nD) atoms. Field ionization structure this narrow is characteristic of atoms evolving predominantly adiabatically in a rapidly increasing electric field. By increasing the slew rate of the applied field it is possible to induce departures from the adiabatic path at specific avoided level crossings. These departures result in multiple ionization thresholds which may be explained by arguments based on a simple quantum mechanical model of adiabatic field ionization.