Adiabatic Generation of Stable Field-Supported Rydberg Wavepackets

Lambertus D. Noordam, Henrik Stapelfeldt, D. I. Duncan +1 more

Chandra Raman, M. L. Naudeau, John N. Yukich +2 more

X. Zhang, R. R. Jones

Matthew Bowden Campbell

Carlos O Reinhold, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer +3 more

A technique for generating Rydberg wavepackets in preferred target states is demonstrated that exploits the mixed phase space structure of the periodically `kicked' Rydberg atom. Experimental data and classical simulations for very-high- n Rydberg atoms are presented that show that application of a train of equispaced, unidirectional half-cycle pulses can lead to localization of the final wavepacket in classical stable islands. The product wavepackets are examined using a delayed half-cycle probe pulse. It is demonstrated that the motion of the wavepackets is either quasiperiodic or random depending on whether or not the initial state of the atom overlaps a stable island.

Jakub Zakrzewski, Dominique Delande

We show, by an exact numerical simulation, how to prepare a non-spreading electronic wavepacket in Rydberg atoms, using the nonlinear interaction of the Rydberg electron with a circularly polarized microwave field. The wavepacket can be prepared by a mixed diabatic/adiabatic switching on of the microwave field, which is studied in detail for realistic conditions.