Abstract
Population transfer between low-lying Rydberg states independent of the initial state is realized using a train of half-cycle pulses with pulse durations much shorter than the classical orbital period. We demonstrate experimentally the population transfer from initial states around $n=50$ with $10%$ of the population de-excited down to $n<40$ as well as up to the continuum. This is a demonstration of a state-independent de-excitation technique applicable to the currently produced state distribution of antihydrogen. The measured population transfer matches well to a model of the process for one-dimensional atoms.
Highlights
The control of atoms in Rydberg states is important for many different applications, including the study of antihydrogen, the study of wave packets in Rydberg atoms, and the use of excitation blockades for quantum computing [1,2,3]
A train of HCPs produces large diffusive population transfers independent of the initial n state of the Rydberg atoms and operates regardless of the time structure creating Rydberg atoms. These trains are ideal for the control and efficient de-excitation of Rydberg antihydrogen atoms because they meet all of the previously discussed conditions required for compatibility with antihydrogen production
The ability to accurately model the population transfer demonstrated in this text, using analytical calculations of the inelastic form factor, will allow for the efficient development of enhanced protocols using, for example, chirped-pulse trains both to enhance the efficiency of the transfer and to drive atoms toward a desired final state
Summary
The control of atoms in Rydberg states is important for many different applications, including the study of antihydrogen, the study of wave packets in Rydberg atoms, and the use of excitation blockades for quantum computing [1,2,3]. Because the orbital period for these atoms is on the order of tens of nanoseconds, electrical impulse generators are used to generate pulses with temporal widths less than the orbital period This experimental technique cannot be extended to atoms with n < 100 due to the much shorter pulse lengths required when the orbital periods are less than 100 ps. Single pulses to atoms in states comparable to those produced for antihydrogen study have been shown to cause population redistribution to nearby n and l states, but ionization occurs at high pulse amplitudes instead of inducing larger changes in quantum state [10,11] These systems use amplified femtosecond lasers with repetition rates limited to less than around 10 kHz to produce HCPs; they cannot be extended to produce pulse trains to drive large changes within the lifetime of a Rydberg atom.
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