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arXiv · 2310.14686

Kato's theorem and ultralong-range Rydberg molecules

Matthew T. Eiles·Frederic Hummel
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Abstract

We consider non-adiabatic coupling in the "trilobite"-like long-range Rydberg molecules created by perturbing degenerate high-$\ell$ Rydberg states with a ground-state atom. Due to the flexibility granted by the high Rydberg level density, the avoided crossings between relevant potential energy curves can become extremely narrow, leading to highly singular non-adiabatic coupling. We find that the gap between the trilobite potential curve and neighboring "butterfly" or "dragonfly" potential curves can even vanish, as in a conical intersection, if the gap closes at an internuclear distance which matches a node of the $s$-wave radial wave function. This is an unanticipated outcome of Kato's theorem.

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Matthew T. Eiles, Frederic Hummel. 2023-10-23. Kato's theorem and ultralong-range Rydberg molecules. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.109.022811

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