Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Physical Review A

Highly polar states of Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic and weak electric fields

E. Paradis, Stefan Zigo, Georg A. Raithel

Published Jan 14, 2013• 10 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We study the spectra of diamagnetic rubidium Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic and weak electric parallel fields, in the $n$-mixing regime. Our emphasis is on isolated pairs of near-degenerate, opposite-parity, diamagnetic states that become mixed by the weak electric field. Such level pairs allow for the generation of nondegenerate states with large, tunable permanent electric dipole moments and large optical excitation cross sections from the atomic ground state. We investigate how the dipole moments and the zero-electric-field energy defects of these level pairs can be tuned using small variations of the electric and magnetic fields. Using calculations, we explore the abundance of such level pairs over wide spectral regions for several magnetic quantum numbers. Applications of polar, diamagnetic Rydberg states in Rydberg-atom interaction experiments are briefly discussed.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.87.012505

Related papers

High-Magnetic-Field Rydberg Atom Interactions.

Éric Paradis

In this thesis I examine high-magnetic-field Rydberg spectra, with the goal of discerning the viability of using such states as an interaction mechanism for quantum computation processes. In the presence of a strong magnetic field of B0 = 2.6 T, high-lying states of E ~ -55 cm(-1) are non-degenerate and show a wide range of magnetic dipole moments. Near-degenerate pairs of states of the same mJ manifold but of different axial parity Pi_z will strongly interact in the presence of an applied weak parallel electric field F, generating a pair of highly polar states. I show experimental results that, in agreement with theoretical work presented here, illustrate the presence of strong permanent dipole moments p ~ 1500 ea0 under these conditions. Such Rydberg states can also be tuned into resonance through careful control of the magnetic field, and are suitable for developing quantum phase gates and performing Rydberg-Rydberg interaction experiments. In order to perform such high-field Rydberg excitation experiments, a stable, dense and well-controlled cold atom cloud is needed within a high-magnetic-field environment. Toward this end, I present a full characterization of the utilized high-field trapping apparatus, including measurements of the trapped atom sample size, shape, and temperature. Analysis of the loss rate from the high-magnetic-field atom trap, both as a function of the applied magnetic field B0 and transverse confinement are presented. Experimental results for the high-field confinement of 85Rb are presented, as well as the first demonstration of a high-field 87Rb trap. Current trap limitations and possible improvements to the trapping apparatus are discussed. Other applications of the high-magnetic-field trap, such as the investigation of ultracold two-component plasmas and three-body recombination experiments, are also presented.

•Jan 1, 2013•0 citations

Observation of high angular momentum states of Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic and weak crossed electric fields

Georg A. Raithel, M. Fauth

High angular momentum Rydberg states of atoms in strong magnetic fields or in strong magnetic and weak crossed electric fields correspond to classical regular drift trajectories around the positive ion core. The motion can be adiabatically separated in a fast cyclotron motion, an oscillation in magnetic field direction, and a slow drift motion. Some of the drift trajectories display huge electric-dipole moments induced by the weak electric field. Corresponding atomic drift states with large electric dipole moments are theoretically predicted. In the experiment drift states are excited by an optical one-photon transition. The excitation of drift-state atoms is very efficient in the vicinity of anti-crossings between Rydberg states with large photoexcitation cross section and drift states. The drift-state atoms are separated from other Rydberg atoms via electric-dipole deflection in an inhomogeneous electric field. The size of the observed dipole moments agrees quite well with theoretical values.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•May 14, 1995•14 citations

Rydberg states of helium in electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary relative orientation

Ondřej Tkáč, Matija Žeško, Josef A. Agner +2 more

A spectroscopic study of Rydberg states of helium (n = 30 and 45) in magnetic, electric and combined magnetic and electric fields with arbitrary relative orientations of the field vectors is presented. The emphasis is on two special cases where (i) the diamagnetic term is negligible and both paramagnetic Zeeman and Stark effects are linear (n = 30, B ≤ 120 mT and F = 0-78 V cm⁻¹), and (ii) the diamagnetic term is dominant and the Stark effect is linear (n = 45, B = 277 mT and F = 0-8 V cm⁻¹). Both cases correspond to regimes where the interactions induced by the electric and magnetic fields are much weaker than the Coulomb interaction, but much stronger than the spin-orbit interaction. The experimental spectra are compared to spectra calculated by determining the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian matrix describing helium Rydberg states in the external fields. The spectra and the calculated energy-level diagrams in external fields reveal avoided crossings between levels of different m ₗ values and pronounced m ₁-mixing effects at all angles between the electric- and magnetic-field vectors other than 0. These observations are discussed in the context of the development of a method to generate dense samples of cold atoms and molecules in a magnetic trap following Rydberg-Stark deceleration.

•Apr 1, 2016•5 citations

Atoms in strong crossed electric and magnetic fields: Evidence for states with large electric-dipole moments

Georg A. Raithel, M. Fauth, HERBERT WALTHER

This paper reports on the evidence for large permanent electric-dipole moments of Rydberg atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields. It was found that the dipole moments have a large value if the scaled electric-field strength \ensuremath{\epsilon}=${\mathit{EB}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4/3}$ has the value \ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.75 (with electric- and magnetic-field strengths E and B in atomic units). The experimental technique employed to determine the atomic dipole moment was to add a slight inhomogeneity to the electric field and to measure the deflection of the atoms, this deflection being proportional to the field inhomogeneity and the atomic dipole moment. In order to discuss the experimental results, different theoretical approaches to the E\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}B problem are reviewed. The occurrence of Rydberg atoms with large dipole moments can be explained as being caused by a distinct type of classical orbit.

Physical Review A•Jan 1, 1993•66 citations

Rydberg states of helium in electric and magnetic fields of arbitrary relative orientation

Ondřej Tkáč, Matija Žeško, Josef A. Agner +2 more

Abstract A spectroscopic study of Rydberg states of helium ( n = 30 and 45) in magnetic, electric and combined magnetic and electric fields with arbitrary relative orientations of the field vectors is presented. The emphasis is on two special cases where (i) the diamagnetic term is negligible and both paramagnetic Zeeman and Stark effects are linear ( n = 30, B ≤ 120 mT and F = 0–78 V cm −1 ), and (ii) the diamagnetic term is dominant and the Stark effect is linear ( n = 45, B = 277 mT and F = 0–8 V cm −1 ). Both cases correspond to regimes where the interactions induced by the electric and magnetic fields are much weaker than the Coulomb interaction, but much stronger than the spin–orbit interaction. The experimental spectra are compared to spectra calculated by determining the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian matrix describing helium Rydberg states in the external fields. The spectra and the calculated energy-level diagrams in external fields reveal avoided crossings between levels of different m l values and pronounced m l -mixing effects at all angles between the electric- and magnetic-field vectors other than 0. These observations are discussed in the context of the development of a method to generate dense samples of cold atoms and molecules in a magnetic trap following Rydberg–Stark deceleration.

arXiv:1701.01638•Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Apr 22, 2016•6 citations

Multichannel quantum-defect theory of perturbed Rydberg atoms in external fields

K. T. Lu, A. R. P. Rau

The diamagnetic and Stark shifts of strongly perturbed Rydberg spectra such as those of the alkaline earths are expressed in terms of multichannel---quantum-defect parameters. The theory is applicable when the shifts produced by the external fields are smaller than the neighboring Rydberg separations. It is applied to evaluate the diamagnetic shifts in Ba, an atom in which Rydberg and doubly excited channels are strongly mixed. In such complex spectra, the diamagnetic effect can serve a useful purpose as a tool to disentangle the interacting series. The radial sizes and, therefore, the diamagnetic shifts are quite different for singly and doubly excited states even when they are at the same energy. In fact, for the field strengths considered ($\ensuremath{\simeq}40$ kG), the diamagnetic contribution of the doubly excited configuration is quite negligible. As a result, the observed shift is a direct measure of the amount of singly excited configuration in the state of interest. Exactly similar conclusions apply to Stark shifts. The last part of this paper considers states of very high excitation further up in the spectrum which are no longer in a perturbative regime. Spectra of atoms in a magnetic field have shown equally spaced resonances near the ionization threshold with characteristic spacings. By the consideration of the effects of electric fields which are also often simultaneously present, a criterion is established for the nature of these spacings depending on the relative strengths of the crossed electric and magnetic fields. The spacing seen in any particular experiment is shown to depend on the mass and quantum defect of the atom, the strengths of the external fields, and experimental conditions such as the temperature of the atomic vapor whose absorption spectrum is being studied.

Physical Review A•Nov 1, 1983•11 citations
We study the spectra of diamagnetic rubidium Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic and weak electric parallel fields, in the nnn-mixing regime. Our emphasis is on isolated pairs of near-degenerate, opposite-parity, diamagnetic states that become mixed by the weak electric field. Such level pairs allow for the generation of nondegenerate states with large, tunable permanent electric dipole moments and large optical excitation cross sections from the atomic ground state. We investigate how the dipole moments and the zero-electric-field energy defects of these level pairs can be tuned using small variations of the electric and magnetic fields. Using calculations, we explore the abundance of such level pairs over wide spectral regions for several magnetic quantum numbers. Applications of polar, diamagnetic Rydberg states in Rydberg-atom interaction experiments are briefly discussed.
In this thesis I examine high-magnetic-field Rydberg spectra, with the goal of discerning the viability of using such states as an interaction mechanism for quantum computation processes. In the presence of a strong magnetic field of B0 = 2.6 T, high-lying states of E ~ -55 cm(-1) are non-degenerate and show a wide range of magnetic dipole moments. Near-degenerate pairs of states of the same mJ manifold but of different axial parity Pi_z will strongly interact in the presence of an applied weak parallel electric field F, generating a pair of highly polar states. I show experimental results that, in agreement with theoretical work presented here, illustrate the presence of strong permanent dipole moments p ~ 1500 ea0 under these conditions. Such Rydberg states can also be tuned into resonance through careful control of the magnetic field, and are suitable for developing quantum phase gates and performing Rydberg-Rydberg interaction experiments. In order to perform such high-field Rydberg excitation experiments, a stable, dense and well-controlled cold atom cloud is needed within a high-magnetic-field environment. Toward this end, I present a full characterization of the utilized high-field trapping apparatus, including measurements of the trapped atom sample size, shape, and temperature. Analysis of the loss rate from the high-magnetic-field atom trap, both as a function of the applied magnetic field B0 and transverse confinement are presented. Experimental results for the high-field confinement of 85Rb are presented, as well as the first demonstration of a high-field 87Rb trap. Current trap limitations and possible improvements to the trapping apparatus are discussed. Other applications of the high-magnetic-field trap, such as the investigation of ultracold two-component plasmas and three-body recombination experiments, are also presented.
High angular momentum Rydberg states of atoms in strong magnetic fields or in strong magnetic and weak crossed electric fields correspond to classical regular drift trajectories around the positive ion core. The motion can be adiabatically separated in a fast cyclotron motion, an oscillation in magnetic field direction, and a slow drift motion. Some of the drift trajectories display huge electric-dipole moments induced by the weak electric field. Corresponding atomic drift states with large electric dipole moments are theoretically predicted. In the experiment drift states are excited by an optical one-photon transition. The excitation of drift-state atoms is very efficient in the vicinity of anti-crossings between Rydberg states with large photoexcitation cross section and drift states. The drift-state atoms are separated from other Rydberg atoms via electric-dipole deflection in an inhomogeneous electric field. The size of the observed dipole moments agrees quite well with theoretical values.
A spectroscopic study of Rydberg states of helium (n = 30 and 45) in magnetic, electric and combined magnetic and electric fields with arbitrary relative orientations of the field vectors is presented. The emphasis is on two special cases where (i) the diamagnetic term is negligible and both paramagnetic Zeeman and Stark effects are linear (n = 30, B ≤ 120 mT and F = 0-78 V cm⁻¹), and (ii) the diamagnetic term is dominant and the Stark effect is linear (n = 45, B = 277 mT and F = 0-8 V cm⁻¹). Both cases correspond to regimes where the interactions induced by the electric and magnetic fields are much weaker than the Coulomb interaction, but much stronger than the spin-orbit interaction. The experimental spectra are compared to spectra calculated by determining the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian matrix describing helium Rydberg states in the external fields. The spectra and the calculated energy-level diagrams in external fields reveal avoided crossings between levels of different m ₗ values and pronounced m ₁-mixing effects at all angles between the electric- and magnetic-field vectors other than 0. These observations are discussed in the context of the development of a method to generate dense samples of cold atoms and molecules in a magnetic trap following Rydberg-Stark deceleration.
This paper reports on the evidence for large permanent electric-dipole moments of Rydberg atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields. It was found that the dipole moments have a large value if the scaled electric-field strength \ensuremath{\epsilon}=${\mathit{EB}}^{\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}4/3}$ has the value \ensuremath{\epsilon}\ensuremath{\approxeq}0.75 (with electric- and magnetic-field strengths E and B in atomic units). The experimental technique employed to determine the atomic dipole moment was to add a slight inhomogeneity to the electric field and to measure the deflection of the atoms, this deflection being proportional to the field inhomogeneity and the atomic dipole moment. In order to discuss the experimental results, different theoretical approaches to the E\ifmmode\times\else\texttimes\fi{}B problem are reviewed. The occurrence of Rydberg atoms with large dipole moments can be explained as being caused by a distinct type of classical orbit.
Abstract A spectroscopic study of Rydberg states of helium ( n = 30 and 45) in magnetic, electric and combined magnetic and electric fields with arbitrary relative orientations of the field vectors is presented. The emphasis is on two special cases where (i) the diamagnetic term is negligible and both paramagnetic Zeeman and Stark effects are linear ( n = 30, B ≤ 120 mT and F = 0–78 V cm −1 ), and (ii) the diamagnetic term is dominant and the Stark effect is linear ( n = 45, B = 277 mT and F = 0–8 V cm −1 ). Both cases correspond to regimes where the interactions induced by the electric and magnetic fields are much weaker than the Coulomb interaction, but much stronger than the spin–orbit interaction. The experimental spectra are compared to spectra calculated by determining the eigenvalues of the Hamiltonian matrix describing helium Rydberg states in the external fields. The spectra and the calculated energy-level diagrams in external fields reveal avoided crossings between levels of different m l values and pronounced m l -mixing effects at all angles between the electric- and magnetic-field vectors other than 0. These observations are discussed in the context of the development of a method to generate dense samples of cold atoms and molecules in a magnetic trap following Rydberg–Stark deceleration.
The diamagnetic and Stark shifts of strongly perturbed Rydberg spectra such as those of the alkaline earths are expressed in terms of multichannel---quantum-defect parameters. The theory is applicable when the shifts produced by the external fields are smaller than the neighboring Rydberg separations. It is applied to evaluate the diamagnetic shifts in Ba, an atom in which Rydberg and doubly excited channels are strongly mixed. In such complex spectra, the diamagnetic effect can serve a useful purpose as a tool to disentangle the interacting series. The radial sizes and, therefore, the diamagnetic shifts are quite different for singly and doubly excited states even when they are at the same energy. In fact, for the field strengths considered ($\ensuremath{\simeq}40$ kG), the diamagnetic contribution of the doubly excited configuration is quite negligible. As a result, the observed shift is a direct measure of the amount of singly excited configuration in the state of interest. Exactly similar conclusions apply to Stark shifts. The last part of this paper considers states of very high excitation further up in the spectrum which are no longer in a perturbative regime. Spectra of atoms in a magnetic field have shown equally spaced resonances near the ionization threshold with characteristic spacings. By the consideration of the effects of electric fields which are also often simultaneously present, a criterion is established for the nature of these spacings depending on the relative strengths of the crossed electric and magnetic fields. The spacing seen in any particular experiment is shown to depend on the mass and quantum defect of the atom, the strengths of the external fields, and experimental conditions such as the temperature of the atomic vapor whose absorption spectrum is being studied.