Quantum versus classical mechanics in the dynamics of the dc Stark effect (A)

H. J. Carmichael, Daniel F. Walls

Benjamin Sussman

T. P. Hezel, Charles E. Burkhardt, M. Ciocca +1 more

The unique properties of the hydrogen atom, especially those that result from the dynamic symmetry of the 1/r potential, are presented from both classical and quantal points of view. Using these properties as a starting point, the response of a classical hydrogen atom, an electron executing a Keplerian ellipse about a proton, to a weak electric field is described. Because the field is weak, the elliptical orbit may be treated as a dynamical element itself, variations in its shape and orientation depicting the classical Stark effect. The behavior of this orbit is then correlated with the quantum mechanical description of the first-order Stark effect in hydrogen, a subject that is included in most introductory courses in quantum mechanics.

E. Ficocelli Varracchio

J. M. Liang, Ramachandra Rao Dasari, Michael S. Feld +1 more

Radiator reorientation kernels are measured in Stark-tunable infrared transitions of 13CH3F. The dominant (ΔM = 1) kernel is obtained by a scale transformation from the shape of a two-pulse photon-echo intensity versus Stark voltage curve, at fixed large echo time delay. The quantum-mechanical transport equation in the presence of coherence M transfer and a dc electric field is reviewed, and the applications of photon echoes in a tunable Stark field to measure reorientation collision kernels are discussed.

Kang Ouyang, Yuansheng Shi, Mingwei Lei +1 more

We demonstrate a method for broadband tunable continuous frequency electric field measurement based on the DC Stark effect in Rydberg atoms. In our experiment, we place a pair of parallel electrode plates inside the atomic vapor cell, utilizing the DC Stark effect to induce splitting and shifting of the Rydberg energy levels, thereby altering the resonance frequency of the Stark subpeaks. By employing the 52D5/2 Rydberg state, we achieve electric field measurements in the frequency range of 5.083–14.470 GHz. At an EDC of 3.45 V/cm and a resonant microwave frequency of 14.470 GHz, using heterodyne technology, the microwave electric field sensitivity is 538.89 μV/cm/√Hz, with a linear dynamic range of 23 dB. In comparison, a Rydberg heterodyne receiver with an EDC of 0 V/cm and a resonant microwave frequency of 5.083 GHz has a sensitivity of 5.43 μV/cm/√Hz and a linear dynamic range of 51 dB. This work will promote the study of atomic microwave receivers in continuous microwave frequency measurement.