Cold and ultracold Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic fields

Cold Rydberg atoms exposed to strong magnetic fields possess unique properties which open the pathway for an intriguing many-body dynamics taking place in Rydberg gases, consisting of either matter or anti-matter systems. We review both the foundations and recent developments of the field in the cold and ultracold regime where trapping and cooling of Rydberg atoms have become possible. Exotic states of moving Rydberg atoms, such as giant dipole states, are discussed in detail, including their formation mechanisms in a strongly magnetized cold plasma. Inhomogeneous field configurations influence the electronic structure of Rydberg atoms, and we describe the utility of corresponding effects for achieving tightly trapped ultracold Rydberg atoms. We review recent work on large, extended cold Rydberg gases in magnetic fields and their formation in strongly magnetized ultracold plasmas through collisional recombination. Implications of these results for current antihydrogen production experiments are pointed out, and techniques for the trapping and cooling of such atoms are investigated.     

里德堡钠原子抗磁谱的模型势计算

用B样条基组展开方法结合模型势计算了里德堡钠原子抗磁谱和相应的振子强度谱.径向和角向均采用高阶B样条基组.计算结果与已有的R-矩阵和多通道量子亏损理论相结合(R-matrix MQDT)法及其他理论计算结果作了比较,几种理论结果在我们所研究的能区内符合得非常好.本文方法较R-ma-trix MQDT法简单,易于推广到交叉电磁场中里德堡原子的精确谱的计算中.     

Magnetic trapping of strongly-magnetized Rydberg atoms

Effective magnetic moments of drift Rydberg atoms in strong magnetic fields are obtained for different energy and angular-momentum states. Classical two-body trajectory calculations and quantum-mechanical one-body calculations are employed. For heavy atoms such as rubidium, the trapping dynamics can largely be explained by the net magnetic moment due to the cyclotron and the magnetron motion of the Rydberg electron. In light Rydberg atoms such as hydrogen, the intrinsic two-body nature of the dynamics becomes manifest in that the ionic motion significantly contributes to the effective magnetic moment. Also, light drift Rydberg atoms exhibit an anisotropic response to field-inhomogeneities parallel and transverse to the magnetic-field lines. The results are relevant to magnetic trapping of Rydberg atoms in strong-magnetic-field atom traps.     

Towards a test of string theory using Rydberg atoms

The current controversy over the need for an experimental test of String Theory is considered. We report recent experiments on quasi-bound electrons in crossed electric and magnetic fields, in which states of very large electric dipole moment are excited. The excited electron is confined to one side of the atomic nucleus in the outer well of a controllable double-well potential. These states are discussed in relation to a recent theoretical proposal to test the spatial non-commutativity underpinning String Theory by studying Penning orbits of Rydberg atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields.     

Semiclassical calculation of ionisation rate for Rydberg helium atoms in an electric field

The ionisation of Rydberg helium atoms in an electric field above the classical ionisation threshold has been examined using the semiclassical method, with particular emphasis on discussing the influence of the core scattering on the escape dynamics of electrons. The results show that the Rydberg helium atoms ionise by emitting a train of electron pulses. Unlike the case of the ionisation of Rydberg hydrogen atom in parallel electric and magnetic fields, where the pulses of the electron are caused by the external magnetic field, the pulse trains for Rydberg helium atoms are created through core scattering. Each peak in the ionisation rate corresponds to the contribution of one core-scattered combination trajectory. This fact further illustrates that the ionic core scattering leads to the chaotic property of the Rydberg helium atom in external fields. Our studies provide a simple explanation for the escape dynamics in the ionisation of nonhydrogenic atoms in external fields.     

用Sturmian基函数展开法计算强磁场中钠原子Rydberg能级

该文讨论了如何采用Ｓｔｕｒｍｉａｎ基函数展开法计算强磁场中碱原子的能级，并用该方法具体计算了钠原子Ｒｙｄｂｅｒｇ态在４．２Ｔ（特斯拉）均匀恒定磁场中的能级，对处理强场混合区的非氢原子的理论方法进行了大胆的探索。     

Semiclassical Calculations of Autoionization Rate for Lithium Atoms in Parallel Electric and Magnetic Fields

By using a semiclassical method, we present theoretical computations of the ionization rate of Rydberg lithium atoms in parallel electric and magnetic fields with different scaled energies above the classical saddle point. The yielded irregular pulse trains of the escape electrons are recorded as a function of emission time, which allows for relating themselves to the terms of the recurrence periods of the photoabsorption. This fact turns to illustrate the dynamic mechanism how the electron pulses are stochastically generated. Comparing our computations with previous investigation results, we can deduce that the complicated chaos under consideration here consists of two kinds of seff-similar fractal structures which correspond to the contributions of the applied magnetic feld and the core scattering events. Furthermore, the effect of the magnetic field plays a major role in the profile of the autoionization rate curves, while the contribution of the core scattering is critical for specifying the positions of the pulse peaks.     

Semiclassical calculation of the recurrence spectra of He Rydberg atom in perpendicular electric and magnetic fields

Closed orbit theory is a semiclassical technique for explaining the spectra of Rydberg atoms in external fields. By developing the closed orbit theory from two degrees of freedom to three non-separable degrees of freedom, we calculated the recurrence spectra of He Rydberg atom in perpendicular electric and magnetic fields. The closed orbits in the corresponding classical system have also been obtained. Fourier transformed spectra of He atoms have allowed direct comparison between the resonance peaks and the scaled action values of closed orbits, whereas the nonhydrogenic resonance can be explained in terms of the new orbits created by the core scattering. The semiclassical result is in good agreement with the quantum spectra, which suggests that our method is correct.     

一种高分辨里德堡原子外场光谱实验方法

介绍一种用于里德堡原子外场效应研究的实验方法，用该方法获得了Ｓｅ原子里德堡态各种外场效应研究的初步结果，显示了此方法用于外场效应的研究的有效性。     

Microwave spectroscopy of the Zeeman effect in Rydberg atoms of sodium

Experimental results of studying the spectrum of the microwave 37P-37S transition of Rydberg sodium atoms in a weak magnetic field (≤7 G) are reported. The populations of the Rydberg states were measured using the method of selective ionization with a pulsed electric field. When the magnetic field was parallel to the ionizing electric field, a good agreement between the calculated and experimental spectral shapes was observed, making it possible to determine the unknown polarization of the microwave radiation. In the case of the orthogonal configuration of the fields, the resonance structure was suppressed in the field ionization signals due to the strong influence of the magnetic field on the electron trajectories in the detection system.     

Coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms in an ultracold gas

We demonstrate two schemes for the coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms in an ultracold gas of rubidium atoms employing the three-level ladder system 5S_1/2-5P_3/2-n?_j. In the first approach rapid adiabatic passage with pulsed laser fields yields Rydberg excitation probabilities of 90% in the center of the laser focus. In a second experiment two-photon Rydberg excitation with continuous-wave fields is applied which results in Rabi oscillations between the ground and Rydberg state. The experiments represent a prerequisite for the control of interactions in ultracold Rydberg gases and the application of ultracold Rydberg gases for quantum information processing.     

平行电磁场中的Rydberg锂原子吸收谱的模型势计算

用B样条基组展开方法结合模型势计算了Rydberg锂原子在平行电磁场下的振子强度谱. 径向和角向均采用高阶Ｂ样条基组.计算结果与已有的实验结果符合得很好.利用分波分析法,对部分谱线的振子强度的强弱进行了分析. 本文方法简单有效，易于推广到交叉电磁场中Rydberg原子的精确谱的计算. 关键词： B样条 能谱 振子强度 平行电磁场 Rydberg原子     

Efficient production of Rydberg positronium

We demonstrate experimentally the production of Rydberg positronium (Ps) atoms in a two-step process, comprising incoherent laser excitation, first to the 2(3)P state and then to states with principal quantum numbers ranging from 10 to 25. We find that excitation of 2(3)P atoms to Rydberg levels occurs very efficiently (~90%) and that the ~25% overall efficiency of the production of Rydberg atoms is determined almost entirely by the spectral overlap of the primary excitation laser and the Doppler broadened width of the 1 (3)S-2(3)P transition. The observed efficiency of Rydberg Ps production can be explained if stimulated emission back to the 2P states is suppressed, for example, by intermixing of the Rydberg state Stark sublevels. The efficient production of long-lived Rydberg Ps in a high magnetic field may make it possible to perform direct measurements of the gravitational free fall of Ps.     

平行电磁场中高里德堡态锂原子自电离的半经典分析

利用Poincaré截面和标度回归谱理论对平行电磁场中高里德堡态锂原子自电离现象进行了半经典分析.并与相同条件下氢原子的相应性质进行比较,结果表明两者有很大不同,这主要是由于离子实散射引起的.从而表明离子实对非氢原子的混沌性质起着非常重要的作用.     

Rydberg quantum computation with nuclear spins in two-electron neutral atoms

Alkaline-earth-like (AEL) atoms with two valence electrons and a nonzero nuclear spin can be excited to Rydberg state for quantum computing. Typical AEL ground states possess no hyperfine splitting, but unfortunately a GHz-scale splitting seems necessary for Rydberg excitation. Though strong magnetic fields can induce a GHz-scale splitting, weak fields are desirable to avoid noise in experiments. Here, we provide two solutions to this outstanding challenge with realistic data of well-studied AEL isotopes. In the first theory, the two nuclear spin qubit states |0〉 and |1〉 are excited to Rydberg states |r〉 with detuning Δ and 0, respectively, where a MHz-scale detuning Δ arises from a weak magnetic field on the order of 1 G. With a proper ratio between Δ and Ω, the qubit state |1〉 can be fully excited to the Rydberg state while |0〉 remains there. In the second theory, we show that by choosing appropriate intermediate states a two-photon Rydberg excitation can proceed with only one nuclear spin qubit state. The second theory is applicable whatever the magnitude of the magnetic field is. These theories bring a versatile means for quantum computation by combining the broad applicability of Rydberg blockade and the incomparable advantages of nuclear-spin quantum memory in two-electron neutral atoms.     

Investigation of cold rubidium Rydberg atoms in a magneto-optical trap

This paper reports on the results of experiments with cold rubidium Rydberg atoms in a magneto-optical trap. The specific feature of the experiments is the excitation of Rydberg atoms in a small volume within a cloud of cold atoms and the sorting of measured signals and spectra according to the number of detected Rydberg atoms. The effective lifetime of the 37P Rydberg state and its polarizability in a weak electric field are measured. The results obtained are in good agreement with theoretical calculations. It is demonstrated that the localization of the excitation volume in the vicinity of the zero-magnetic-field point makes it possible to improve the spectral resolution and to obtain narrow microwave resonances in Rydberg atoms without switching off the quadrupole magnetic field of the trap. The dependence of the amplitude of dipole-dipole interaction resonances in Rydberg atoms on the number of atoms is measured. This dependence exhibits a linear behavior and agrees with the theory for a weak dipole-dipole interaction.     

Electric dipole moments of lithium atoms in Rydberg states

Recently, the diverse properties of Rydberg atoms, which probably arise from its large electric dipole moment(EDM),have been explored. In this paper, we report electric dipole moments along with Stark energies and charge densities of lithium Rydberg states in the presence of electric fields, calculated by matrix diagonalization. Huge electric dipole moments are discovered. In order to check the validity of the EDMs, we also use these electric dipole moments to calculate the Stark energies by numerical integration. The results agree with those calculated by matrix diagonalization.     

Landau quantization and time dependence in the ionization of cold, strongly magnetized Rydberg atoms

The electric-field-ionization and autoionization behavior of cold Rydberg atoms of 85Rb in magnetic fields up to 6 T is investigated. Multiple ionization potentials and field-ionization bands reflecting the Landau energy quantization of the quasifree Rydberg electron are observed. The time-resolved and state-selective field-ionization study provides evidence of mixing and spin flips of the Rydberg electron. Spin-orbit coupling combined with mixing gives rise to a Feshbach-type autoionization of metastable positive-energy atoms.     

Model Potential Calculations of Oscillator Strength Spectra of Rydberg Li Atoms in External Fields

By combining the B-spline basis set with model potential (B-spline + MP), we present oscillator strength spectra of Rydberg Li atoms in external fields. The photoabsorption spectra are analyzed. Over the narrow energy ranges considered in this paper, the structure of the spectra can be independent of the initial state chosen for a given atom. Our results are in good agreement with previous high-precision experimental data and theoretical calculations, where the R-matrix approach together with multichannel quantum defect theory (R-matrix+MQDT) was used. It is suggested that the present methods can be applied to deal with the oscillator strength spectra of Rydberg atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields.     

Magnetic trapping of long-lived cold Rydberg atoms

We report on the trapping of long-lived strongly magnetized Rydberg atoms. 85Rb atoms are laser cooled and collected in a superconducting magnetic trap with a strong bias field (2.9 T) and laser excited to Rydberg states. Collisions scatter a small fraction of the Rydberg atoms into long-lived high-angular momentum "guiding-center" Rydberg states, which are magnetically trapped. The Rydberg atomic cloud is examined using a time-delayed, position-sensitive probe. We observe magnetic trapping of these Rydberg atoms for times up to 200 ms. Oscillations of the Rydberg-atom cloud in the trap reveal an average magnetic moment of the trapped Rydberg atoms of approximately -8microB. These results provide guidance for other Rydberg-atom trapping schemes and illuminate a possible route for trapping antihydrogen.