Not long after metastable xenon was photoionized in a magneto-optical trap, groups in Europe and North America found that similar states of ionized gas evolved spontaneously from state-selected, high principal quantum number Rydberg gases. Studies of atomic xenon and molecular nitric oxide entrained in a supersonically cooled molecular beam subsequently showed much the same final state evolved from a sequence of prompt Penning ionization and electron-impact avalanche to plasma, well-described by coupled rate-equation simulations. But, measured over longer times, the molecular ultracold plasma was found to exhibit an anomalous combination of very long lifetime and very low apparent electron temperature. This review summarizes early developments in the study of ultracold plasmas formed by atomic and molecular Rydberg gases, and then details observations as they combine to characterize properties of the nitric oxide molecular ultracold plasma that appear to call for an explanation beyond the realm of conventional plasma physics.
Out-of-equilibrium, strong correlation in a many-body system can trigger emergent properties that act to constrain the natural dissipation of energy and matter. Signs of such self-organization appear in the avalanche, bifurcation, and quench of a state-selected Rydberg gas of nitric oxide to form an ultracold, strongly correlated ultracold plasma. Work reported here focuses on initial stages of avalanche and quench, and uses the mm-wave spectroscopy of an embedded quantum probe to characterize the intermolecular interaction dynamics associated with the evolution to plasma. Double-resonance excitation prepares a Rydberg gas of nitric oxide composed of a single selected state of principal quantum number, n0. Penning ionization, followed by an avalanche of electron-Rydberg collisions, forms a plasma of NO+ ions and weakly bound electrons, in which a residual population of n0 Rydberg molecules evolves to a state of high orbital angular momentum, l. Predissociation depletes the plasma of low- l molecules. Relaxation ceases and n0l(2) molecules with l {greater than or equal to} 4 persist for very long times. At short times, varying excitation spectra of mm-wave Rydberg-Rydberg transitions mark the rate of electron-collisional l-mixing. Deep depletion resonances that persist for long times signal energy redistribution in the basis of central-field Rydberg states. The widths and asymmetries of Fano lineshapes witness the degree to which coupling in the arrested bath i) broadens the allowed transition and ii) mixes the local network of levels in the ensemble.
We present the development of an automated process control technology that employs Raman spectroscopy and chemometrics in the pulp and paper industry, improving efficiency, reducing costs, and providing the opportunity to make product quality guarantees.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.