Diffusive-like Redistribution in State-changing Collisions between Rydberg Atoms and Ground State Atoms

Abstract

We report on the study of state-changing collisions between Rydberg atoms and ground state atoms. We employ high-resolution momentum spectroscopy to identify the final states. In contrast to previous studies, we find that the outcome of such collisions is not limited to a single hydrogenic manifold. We observe a redistribution of population over a wide range of final states. We also find that even the decay to states with the same $l$ as the initial state, but different principal quantum number $n$ is possible. We model the underlying physical process in the framework of a short-lived Rydberg quasi-molecular complex, where a charge exchange process gives rise to an oscillating electric field that causes transitions within the Rydberg manifold. The distribution of final states shows a diffusive-like behavior.

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Synthetic dimension-induced conical intersections in Rydberg molecules
• Ultracold ion-atom experiments: cooling, chemistry, and quantum effects
• Kato's theorem and ultralong-range Rydberg molecules
• In situ observation of chemistry in Rydberg molecules within a coherent solvent
• Tomography of a single-atom-resolved detector in the presence of shot-to-shot number fluctuations
• Spin-orbit-dependent lifetimes of long-range Rydberg molecules