Blackbody-radiation-induced shifts and the broadening of Rydberg states in the ions of group IIa elements

Abstract

The rates of blackbody-radiation(BBR)-induced transitions from excited nS, nP, nD and nF states into bound states and into continua of the group IIa ions Ca+, Sr+, Ba+ at temperatures from T = 100 K to T = 3000 K are calculated in consecutive comparison of the Fues model potential (FMP) with quantum defect method (QDM). The temperature and binding-energy dependencies are determined and analytical asymptotic approximations are proposed for evaluating numerically the contributions of the bound states and continua to the Rydberg-level widths and positions. The general properties of n-dependence at the threshold and regularities of above-threshold ionization cross sections for states with high principal quantum numbers n are used for determining the rates of BBR-induced ionization. Relations are determined between deviations from general regularities for the sum rules of oscillator- strengths and specific non-local dependence of the FMP on optical-electron angular momentum. The QDM appears preferable in comparison with the FMP approach for calculating the amplitudes of radiation transitions from Rydberg states, and specifically sums of matrix-element-dependent terms over very large (in particular, infinite) numbers of discrete states. The fractional (related to natural decay) rates of BBR-induced decay into lower bound states, excitation into upper bound states and ionization transitions into the continuum are presented asymptotically with parameters tabulated for the S, P, D and F Rydberg states.