Spectral line broadening due to the interaction between very excited atoms: 'the dense Rydberg gas'
J. M. Raimond, Guy Vitrant, S. Haroche
The authors report the first observation of spectral line perturbations, due to van der Waals coupling between very excited atoms, in a sample where the average interatomic distance is about 15 times the Rydberg atom radius. Broadenings of the order of intervals between adjacent lines reveal Rydberg-Rydberg couplings no longer negligible compared with the atomic binding energy. The authors analyse the excitation mechanism of this 'dense Rydberg gas' by laser light non-resonant for the unperturbed atoms.
Journal of Physics B Atomic and Molecular Physics•Nov 14, 1981•81 citations