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

The kicked atom: Characterization of quasi-one-dimensional Rydberg atoms and their nonlinear dynamics

Zhao, Wei

Published Jan 1, 2005• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The characteristics of strongly-polarized quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) Rydberg atoms produced by photoexcitation of selected Stark states in the n = 350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subject to sub-nanosecond unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution and thus of the quasi-1D nature of the states. The response of such states to a train of HCPs directed parallel and anti-parallel to the axis of polarization of the initial state is also investigated. Pronounced differences in the survival probability are observed confirming theoretical predictions that the dynamical response of the system will be very different for these two conditions. The presence of noise is also observed to play a crucial role in the dynamics. Reasonable agreement between experiment and theory is achieved.

Related papers

Characterization of quasi-one-dimensional Rydberg atoms using multiply directed half-cycle pulses

Wen Kui Zhao, J. C. Lancaster, F. B. Dunning +2 more

The characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) high-$n$ Rydberg atoms produced by photoexciting, in a weak dc field, extreme members of the $n=350$ Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subjected to unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCP's), of duration ${T}_{p}⪡{T}_{n}$ where ${T}_{n}$ is the classical electron orbital period, directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution. It is shown that HCP's applied transverse to the atomic axis provide a particularly sensitive probe of the quasi-1D nature of the state. The experimental data are in good agreement with the results of classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations.

Physical Review A•Apr 8, 2004•9 citations

Influence of a dc offset field on kicked quasi-one-dimensional Rydberg atoms: Stabilization and frustrated field ionization

S. Yoshida, Carlos O Reinhold, Joachim Burgdörfer +4 more

The influence of a superposed offset field on the response of highly polarized (quasi-1D) very-high-$n$ Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of unidirectional half-cycle pulses (HCPs) is investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. It is observed that the presence of an offset field strongly influences the dynamics. The electronic states become transiently stabilized and trapped near the ionization threshold when the net average field they experience is near zero irrespective of whether the HCPs, applied parallel to the atomic axis, are directed towards or away from the nucleus. The nature of this stabilization is explored using Poincar\'e surfaces of section. In large offset fields, direct field ionization becomes possible but it is demonstrated that this can be suppressed by application of an oppositely directed HCP train. The use of such ``frustrated field ionization'' to measure the polarization of Rydberg atoms is discussed.

Physical Review A•Mar 8, 2006•4 citations

Realization of the kicked atom at high scaled frequencies

Carlos O Reinhold, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer +4 more

The response of quasi-one-dimensional very-high-$n$ Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of short unidirectional electric-field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), is studied at high scaled frequencies. Pronounced nonmonotonic structure in the survival probability is observed as $N$, the number of HCPs in the train is increased, the survival probability actually increasing with $N$ over certain ranges of $N$. This behavior is very sensitive to the polarization of the Rydberg states and is explained with the aid of classical simulations.

Physical Review A•Mar 24, 2006•10 citations

Engineering very-high- n polarized Rydberg states and behavior at high scaled frequencies

J. J. Mestayer

Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) atoms can be produced by photoexciting selected Stark states in the presence of a weak do field. For n ≥ 500, such direct excitation of quasi-ID atoms becomes problematic because stray fields and effective laser linewidths lead to creation of a range of Stark states with no preferred orientation. We show here that very-high- n quasi-1D atoms can be produced by a multi-step process in which lower- n ( n ∼350) quasi-1D atoms are first produced. The excited electron is then localized in phase space near the outer classical turning point at which time it is transferred to a highly-elongated very-high- n orbit using a half cycle pulse (HCP). This leads to the population of a broad distribution of final n states centered at n ∼580. It is shown that this broad distribution can be dramatically narrowed by subsequent application of further HCPs. The factors that govern the final n distribution are discussed with the aid of classical simulations. The availability of very-high- n quasi-1D atoms allows the dynamics of the periodically kicked atom to be examined at high scaled frequencies, v 0 ≈15. Novel behavior, such as local increases in survival probability with increasing number of kicks, is observed.

•Jan 1, 2006•0 citations

Two-dimensional momentum imaging of Rydberg states using half-cycle pulse ionization and velocity map imaging

A. Wetzels, Andreas Gürtler, F. Roşca-Prună +4 more

The influence of the half-cycle pulse (HCP) kick on the asymptotic velocity of the ejected electron has been studied for excited xenon atoms ${(n}^{*}=34)$ in the presence of a static electric field $(220\mathrm{V}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}).$ We find that the HCP does not change the momentum distribution perpendicular to the kick direction. Therefore half-cycle pulse ionization and electron velocity map imaging can be used to obtain two-dimensional momentum distributions of atomic Rydberg states. Semiclassical and quantum mechanical calculations complement the experimental results.

Physical Review A•Oct 13, 2003•8 citations

Characterizing high- n quasi-one-dimensional strontium Rydberg atoms

Moritz Hiller, S. Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer +3 more

The production of high-$n$, $n\ensuremath{\sim}300$, quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) strontium Rydberg atoms through two-photon excitation of selected extreme Stark states in the presence of a weak dc field is examined using a crossed laser-atom beam geometry. The dipolar polarization of the electron wave function in the product states is probed using two independent techniques. The experimental data are analyzed with a classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation employing initial ensembles that are obtained with the aid of quantum calculations based on a two-active-electron model. Comparisons between theory and experiment highlight different characteristics of the product quasi-1D states, in particular, their large permanent dipole moments, $\ensuremath{\sim}$1.0 to 1.2${n}^{2}e{a}_{0}$, where $e$ is the electronic charge and ${a}_{0}$ is the Bohr radius. Such states can be engineered using pulsed electric fields to create a wide variety of target states.

Physical Review A•Feb 21, 2014•11 citations
The characteristics of strongly-polarized quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) Rydberg atoms produced by photoexcitation of selected Stark states in the n = 350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subject to sub-nanosecond unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution and thus of the quasi-1D nature of the states. The response of such states to a train of HCPs directed parallel and anti-parallel to the axis of polarization of the initial state is also investigated. Pronounced differences in the survival probability are observed confirming theoretical predictions that the dynamical response of the system will be very different for these two conditions. The presence of noise is also observed to play a crucial role in the dynamics. Reasonable agreement between experiment and theory is achieved.
The characteristics of quasi-one-dimensional (1D) high-nnn Rydberg atoms produced by photoexciting, in a weak dc field, extreme members of the n=350n=350n=350 Stark manifold are investigated by studying their ionization when subjected to unidirectional electric field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCP's), of duration Tp⪡Tn{T}_{p}⪡{T}_{n}Tp​⪡Tn​ where Tn{T}_{n}Tn​ is the classical electron orbital period, directed both parallel and perpendicular to the atomic axis. The observed differences in the ionization characteristics provide a measure of the anisotropy of the momentum distribution. It is shown that HCP's applied transverse to the atomic axis provide a particularly sensitive probe of the quasi-1D nature of the state. The experimental data are in good agreement with the results of classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations.
The influence of a superposed offset field on the response of highly polarized (quasi-1D) very-high-nnn Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of unidirectional half-cycle pulses (HCPs) is investigated, both experimentally and theoretically. It is observed that the presence of an offset field strongly influences the dynamics. The electronic states become transiently stabilized and trapped near the ionization threshold when the net average field they experience is near zero irrespective of whether the HCPs, applied parallel to the atomic axis, are directed towards or away from the nucleus. The nature of this stabilization is explored using Poincar\'e surfaces of section. In large offset fields, direct field ionization becomes possible but it is demonstrated that this can be suppressed by application of an oppositely directed HCP train. The use of such ``frustrated field ionization'' to measure the polarization of Rydberg atoms is discussed.
The response of quasi-one-dimensional very-high-nnn Rydberg atoms to a periodic train of short unidirectional electric-field pulses, termed half-cycle pulses (HCPs), is studied at high scaled frequencies. Pronounced nonmonotonic structure in the survival probability is observed as NNN, the number of HCPs in the train is increased, the survival probability actually increasing with NNN over certain ranges of NNN. This behavior is very sensitive to the polarization of the Rydberg states and is explained with the aid of classical simulations.
Quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) atoms can be produced by photoexciting selected Stark states in the presence of a weak do field. For n ≥ 500, such direct excitation of quasi-ID atoms becomes problematic because stray fields and effective laser linewidths lead to creation of a range of Stark states with no preferred orientation. We show here that very-high- n quasi-1D atoms can be produced by a multi-step process in which lower- n ( n ∼350) quasi-1D atoms are first produced. The excited electron is then localized in phase space near the outer classical turning point at which time it is transferred to a highly-elongated very-high- n orbit using a half cycle pulse (HCP). This leads to the population of a broad distribution of final n states centered at n ∼580. It is shown that this broad distribution can be dramatically narrowed by subsequent application of further HCPs. The factors that govern the final n distribution are discussed with the aid of classical simulations. The availability of very-high- n quasi-1D atoms allows the dynamics of the periodically kicked atom to be examined at high scaled frequencies, v 0 ≈15. Novel behavior, such as local increases in survival probability with increasing number of kicks, is observed.
The influence of the half-cycle pulse (HCP) kick on the asymptotic velocity of the ejected electron has been studied for excited xenon atoms (n∗=34){(n}^{*}=34)(n∗=34) in the presence of a static electric field $(220\mathrm{V}{\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}).$ We find that the HCP does not change the momentum distribution perpendicular to the kick direction. Therefore half-cycle pulse ionization and electron velocity map imaging can be used to obtain two-dimensional momentum distributions of atomic Rydberg states. Semiclassical and quantum mechanical calculations complement the experimental results.
The production of high-nnn, $n\ensuremath{\sim}300$, quasi-one-dimensional (quasi-1D) strontium Rydberg atoms through two-photon excitation of selected extreme Stark states in the presence of a weak dc field is examined using a crossed laser-atom beam geometry. The dipolar polarization of the electron wave function in the product states is probed using two independent techniques. The experimental data are analyzed with a classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulation employing initial ensembles that are obtained with the aid of quantum calculations based on a two-active-electron model. Comparisons between theory and experiment highlight different characteristics of the product quasi-1D states, in particular, their large permanent dipole moments, $\ensuremath{\sim}1.0to1.21.0 to 1.21.0to1.2{n}^{2}e{a}_{0}$, where eee is the electronic charge and a0{a}_{0}a0​ is the Bohr radius. Such states can be engineered using pulsed electric fields to create a wide variety of target states.