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arXiv · 0708.2922

Recombination fluorescence in ultracold neutral plasmas

S. D. Bergeson·F. Robicheaux
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Abstract

We present the first measurements and simulations of recombination fluorescence in ultracold neutral plasmas. In contrast with previous work, experiment and simulation are in significant disagreement. Comparison with a recombination model suggests that the disagreement could be due to the high energy portion of the electron energy distribution or to large energy changes in electron/Rydberg scattering. Recombination fluorescence opens a new diagnostic window in ultracold plasmas because it probes the deeply-bound Rydberg levels, which depend critically on electron energetics.

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S. D. Bergeson, F. Robicheaux. 2007-08-21. Recombination fluorescence in ultracold neutral plasmas. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.101.073202

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