Spectral properties of non-hydrogenic atoms in weak external fields

Abstract

We study how the ionic core in a non-hydrogenic atom modifies the dynamics of a Rydberg electron in the presence of a weak static external field. We show that such a system is neither regular nor chaotic: its energy levels display unusual statistical properties, intermediate between the standard Poisson and Random Matrix ones. The ionic core acts as a scatterer whose size is comparable to the de Broglie wavelength of the electron, inducing specific quantum effects.

5 pages, 4 figures. To appear in Physical Review Letter

References in corpus (2)

• Boundary conditions at the mobility edge
• Periodic Orbit Theory for Rydberg Atoms in External Fields

Cited by in corpus (7)

• Nearest-neighbor distribution for singular billiards
• Molecules in external fields: a semiclassical analysis
• Semi-classical calculations of the two-point correlation form factor for diffractive systems
• A universal ionization threshold for strongly driven Rydberg states
• $\hslash$ corrections in semi-classical formula for smooth chaotic dynamics
• Investigating interaction-induced chaos using time-dependent density functional theory
• Spectral properties of Atoms in Fields: A Semiclassical Analysis