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J. A. Petrus

Publications and source records attributed to J. A. Petrus.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

ac electric-field-induced resonant energy transfer between cold Rydberg atoms

An oscillating electric field at 1.356 GHz was used to promote the resonant energy transfer process: $43d_{5/2}+43d_{5/2} \to 45p_{3/2}+41f$ between translationally cold $^{85}$Rb Rydberg atoms. The ac Stark shifts due to this dressing field created degeneracies between the initial and final two-atom states of this process. The ac field strength was scanned to collect spectra which are analogous to dc electric-field-induced resonant energy transfer spectra. Different resonances were observed for different magnetic sublevels involved in the process. Compared to earlier work performed at higher frequencies, the choice of dressing frequency and structure of the spectra may be intuitively understood, by analogy with the dc field case.

physics.atom-ph↗

Enhancement of Rydberg atom interactions using ac Stark shifts

The ac Stark effect was used to induce resonant energy transfer between translationally cold Rydberg atoms. The Rb Rydberg atoms were obtained by laser excitation of cold atoms from a magneto-optical trap. Using two-photon microwave spectroscopy of the 49s_{1/2}-50s_{1/2} transition, the field strength of a 28.5 GHz dressing field was calibrated. When this dressing field was set at specific field strengths, the two-atom dipole-dipole process 43d_{5/2} + 43d_{5/2} -> 45p_{3/2} + 41f was dramatically enhanced, due to induced degeneracy of the initial and final states. A series of observed resonant field strengths correspond to different magnetic sublevel possibilities for the initial and final states. These agree well with calculated resonance fields based on a perturbative ac Stark shift formula. This method for enhancing interactions is complementary to dc electric-field-induced resonant energy transfer, but has more flexibility due to the possibility of varying the applied frequency.

physics.atom-ph↗

Determination of the Rb ng-series quantum defect by electric-field-induced resonant energy transfer between cold Rydberg atoms

Resonant energy transfer between cold Rydberg atoms was used to determine Rydberg atom energy levels, at precisions approaching those obtainable in microwave spectroscopy. Laser cooled Rb atoms from a magneto-optical trap were optically excited to 32d Rydberg states. The two-atom process 32d(j=5/2) + 32d(j=5/2) -> 34p(j=3/2) + 30g is resonant at an electric field of approximately 0.3 V/cm. This process is driven by the electric dipole-dipole interaction, which is allowed due to the partial f character that the g state acquires in an electric field. The experimentally observed resonant field, together with the Stark map calculation is used to make a determination of the Rb ng-series quantum defect: delta_g (n=30) = 0.00405(6).

physics.atom-ph↗