Quasiclassical calculations of BBR-induced depopulation rates and effective lifetimes of Rydberg nS, nP and nD alkali-metal atoms with n < 80

Abstract

Rates of depopulation by blackbody radiation (BBR) and effective lifetimes of alkali-metal \textit{nS}, \textit{n}P and \textit{nD} Rydberg states have been calculated in a wide range of principal quantum numbers $n\le 80$ at the ambient temperatures of 77, 300 and 600 K. Quasiclassical formulas were used to calculate the radial matrix elements of the dipole transitions from Rydberg states. Good agreement of our numerical results with the available theoretical and experimental data has been found. We have also obtained simple analytical formulas for estimates of effective lifetimes and BBR-induced depopulation rates, which well agree with the numerical data.

12 pages, 6 figures, 8 tables. Typo in Eq.16 corrected in V2. Typos in Eq.5 and Eq.9 corrected in V3. Error in calculation of Rb nP_{3/2} effective lifetimes corrected in V4: see new data in Table II and Table VII, Erratum to be published in PRA

References in corpus (1)

• Ionization of Sodium and Rubidium nS, nP and nD Rydberg atoms by blackbody radiation

Cited by in corpus (3)

• Dipole blockade in a cold Rydberg atomic sample
• Two-electron excitation of an interacting cold Rydberg gas
• Stark-tuned Förster resonance and dipole blockade for two to five cold Rydberg atoms: Monte Carlo simulations for various spatial configurations