Ponderomotive Optical Lattice Trap for Rydberg Atoms
Georg Raithel lab, University of Michigan
Participating Students: Alisher Duspayev, Ryan Cardman
Graduated Students: Jamie MacLennan, Yun-Jhih Chen, Kaitlin Moore, Andira Ramos
(Illustration credit: Kelly Younge)
NEWS:
December 16, 2013 -- Where does the photoionization process happen within the volume of a Rydberg atom? We have used an optical lattice as a light probe to investigate this question. We studied photoionization rates of Rydberg D states (principal quantum numbers between 45 and 65) in a one-dimensional optical lattice of wavelength 1064 nm. In our setup, the Rydberg-atom size is on the order of the lattice period. The lattice light-field maxima are placed either near the atom's center or within the lobes of the electronic probability distribution. The measured rates are consistent with photoionization occurring primarily near the atomic nucleus, and not where the Rydberg electronic probability distribution is highest. We have therefore provided direct experimental evidence of an assumption underpinning many experiments with Rydberg atoms in optical fields, i.e. that the photoionization process for Rydberg atoms occurs near the nucleus. The paper reporting our results, entitled "Ionization of Rydberg atoms by standing-wave light fields," has been published in Nature Communications. The paper can also be viewed here. |
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