Ionization of Rydberg atoms at patterned electrode arrays

Yu, Pu; Dunning, F. B.

doi:10.1103/physreva.88.012901

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 32 publications

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“…This may simply be because nobody has seen any reason to perform such an experiment. However, since Rydberg atoms are in general very sensitive to external fields and can easily be ionized [160,423,424], they may not be compatible with transmission through physical gratings. Possibly experiments have been tried that just did not work.…”

Section: Antimatter Gravity Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may occur because in most Rydberg systems an electron is promoted to a highly excited state, leaving the rest of the atom or molecule as a slow moving spectator, whereas in the case of Ps the electron and positron can both interact with external systems in similar ways. This may, for example, affect the way that Rydberg Ps atoms interact with surfaces [421][422][423][424]; such interactions can be exploited to study various processes, for example charge transfer [425][426][427] or measurements of electric fields [428,429], and may also be of relevance to possible Ps interferometry experiments.…”

Section: Excitation Of Rydberg Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental progress in positronium laser physics

2018

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Abstract. The field of experimental positronium physics has advanced significantly in the last few decades, with new areas of research driven by the development of techniques for trapping and manipulating positrons using Surko-type buffer gas traps. Large numbers of positrons (typically ≥10 6 ) accumulated in such a device may be ejected all at once, so as to generate an intense pulse. Standard bunching techniques can produce pulses with ns (mm) temporal (spatial) beam profiles. These pulses can be converted into a dilute Ps gas in vacuum with densities on the order of 10 7 cm −3 which can be probed by standard ns pulsed laser systems. This allows for the efficient production of excited Ps states, including long-lived Rydberg states, which in turn facilitates numerous experimental programs, such as precision optical and microwave spectroscopy of Ps, the application of Stark deceleration methods to guide, decelerate and focus Rydberg Ps beams, and studies of the interactions of such beams with other atomic and molecular species. These methods are also applicable to antihydrogen production and spectroscopic studies of energy levels and resonances in positronium ions and molecules. A summary of recent progress in this area will be given, with the objective of providing an overview of the field as it currently exists, and a brief discussion of some future directions.

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Section: Antimatter Gravity Experimentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Excitation Of Rydberg Statesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental progress in positronium laser physics

2018

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“…Experimental studies have been primarily conducted with flat-metal surfaces for which the ionization dynamics are almost independent of the material because of the generic behavior of RCT to the conduction band. However, there have also been some experimental and/or theoretical investigations of the effects of adlayers and thin insulating films [5], interaction with doped semiconductor surfaces [6] and dielectric materials [7], effects of corrugation and of patch charges [8,9]. Related theoretical calculations were used to investigate the variation of ionization rate of ground state Hwith the thickness of a metal film substrate [10].…”

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confidence: 99%

Resonant Charge Transfer of Hydrogen Rydberg Atoms Incident on a Cu(100) Projected Band-Gap Surface

et al. 2015

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The charge transfer (ionization) of hydrogen Rydberg atoms (n = 25 − 34) at a Cu(100) surface is investigated. Unlike fully metallic surfaces, where the Rydberg electron energy is degenerate with the conduction band of the metal, the Cu(100) surface has a projected bandgap at these energies, and only discrete image states are available through which charge transfer can take place. Resonant enhancement of charge transfer is observed for Rydberg states whose energy matches one of the image states, and the integrated surface ionization signals (signal versus applied field) show clear periodicity as a function of n as the energies come in and out of resonance with the image states. The surface ionization dynamics show a velocity dependence; decreased velocity of the incident H atom leads to a greater mean distance of ionization and a lower field required to extract the ion. The surface-ionization profiles for 'on resonance' n values show a changing shape as the velocity is changed, reflecting the finite field range over which resonance occurs.The collision of a Rydberg atom in the gas phase with a solid surface typically leads to transfer of the Rydberg electron to the surface at distances less than 5n 2 a 0 , where n is the Rydberg electron principal quantum number. This is especially true for metallic surfaces, where the Rydberg electron energy is degenerate with the conduction band so that resonant charge transfer (RCT) can occur. Experimental and theoretical studies of this phenomenon have focused on the effects of varying the n quantum number, the parabolic quantum number k, the velocity of the incoming particle and the applied fields [1,2], and observing how the rate of ionization varies as a function of distance from the surface [3]. For nonhydrogenic atoms, adiabatic and non-adiabatic passage through surface-induced energy level crossings leads to behavior that varies with the Rydberg species [4]. Thus, such studies reveal important information about the Rydberg states and their dynamics near surfaces.An equally important question for such studies is what they reveal about the nature of the surface. Experimental studies have been primarily conducted with flat-metal surfaces for which the ionization dynamics are almost independent of the material because of the generic behavior of RCT to the conduction band. However, there have also been some experimental and/or theoretical investigations of the effects of adlayers and thin insulating films [5], interaction with doped semiconductor surfaces [6] and dielectric materials [7], effects of corrugation and of patch charges [8,9]. Related theoretical calculations were used to investigate the variation of ionization rate of ground state H -with the thickness of a metal film substrate [10]. All these studies point to a degree of sensitivity of the charge transfer process to the surface characteristics. The mean radius of a hydrogenic Rydberg orbit is of order n 2 a 0 (e.g., ∼ 20 nm for n = 20) and charge transfer typically occurs at a Rydberg-surface distance of 3 − 5...

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“…Several approaches have been proposed to couple Rydberg atoms to superconducting circuits [20][21][22]. Also the interactions between Rydberg atoms and surfaces have been studied experimentally [23][24][25]. In experiments involving Rydberg atoms close to surfaces, the adsorption of atoms at the surface leads to inhomogeneous stray fields, which impose * Electronic address: tthiele@phys.ethz.ch † Electronic address: filipp@phys.ethz.ch a severe limitation to the coherent manipulation of Rydberg atoms [26], as has been described theoretically [27] and observed in experiments with alkali-metal atoms at room temperature [7,[28][29][30].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Manipulating Rydberg atoms close to surfaces at cryogenic temperatures

et al. 2014

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Helium atoms in Rydberg states have been manipulated coherently with microwave radiation pulses near a gold surface and near a superconducting NbTiN surface at a temperature of 3 K. The experiments were carried out with a skimmed supersonic beam of metastable (1s) 1 (2s) 1 1 S0 helium atoms excited with laser radiation to np Rydberg levels with principal quantum number n between 30 and 40. The separation between the cold surface and the center of the collimated beam is adjustable down to 250 µm. Short-lived np Rydberg levels were coherently transferred to the long-lived ns state to avoid radiative decay of the Rydberg atoms between the photoexcitation region and the region above the cold surfaces. Further coherent manipulation of the ns Rydberg levels with pulsed microwave radiation above the surfaces enabled measurements of stray electric fields and allowed us to study the decoherence of the atomic ensemble. Adsorption of residual gas onto the surfaces and the resulting slow build-up of stray fields was minimized by controlling the temperature of the surface and monitoring the partial pressures of H2O, N2, O2 and CO2 in the experimental chamber during the cool-down. Compensation of the stray electric fields to levels below 100 mV/cm was achieved over a region of 6 mm along the beam-propagation direction which, for the 1770 m/s beam velocity, implies the possibility to preserve the coherence of the atomic sample for several microseconds above the cold surfaces.

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Ionization of Rydberg atoms at patterned electrode arrays

Cited by 6 publications

References 32 publications

Experimental progress in positronium laser physics

Experimental progress in positronium laser physics

Resonant Charge Transfer of Hydrogen Rydberg Atoms Incident on a Cu(100) Projected Band-Gap Surface

Manipulating Rydberg atoms close to surfaces at cryogenic temperatures

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