L-changing through very-long-range interactions in high-n, n∼300, Rydberg-Rydberg collisions

Abstract

Synopsis State-changing in thermal-energy collisions between strontium atoms in high-n, n∼300, n1F3 Rydberg states is studied in an atomic beam and analyzed using classical trajectory Monte Carlo simulations. The L-changing cross section is large, ∼10-4 cm2, much greater than the corresponding “hard-sphere” cross section.