Abstract

We develop and study quantum and semiclassical models of Rydberg-atom spectroscopy in amplitude-modulated optical lattices. Both initial- and target-state Rydberg atoms are trapped in the lattice. Unlike in other spectroscopic schemes, the modulation-induced ponderomotive coupling between the Rydberg states is spatially periodic and perfectly phase-locked to the lattice trapping potentials. This leads to a type of sub-Doppler mechanism which we explain in detail. In our exact quantum model, we solve the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation in the product space of center-of-mass (COM) momentum states and the internal-state space. We also develop a perturbative model based on the band structure in the lattice and Fermi's golden rule, as well as a semiclassical trajectory model in which the COM is treated classically and the internal-state dynamics quantum-mechanically. In all models we obtain the spectrum of the target Rydberg-state population versus the lattice modulation frequency, averaged over the initial thermal COM momentum distribution of the atoms. We investigate the quantum-classical correspondence of the problem in several parameter regimes and exhibit spectral features that arise from vibrational COM coherences and rotary-echo effects. Applications in Rydberg-atom spectroscopy are discussed.

Highlights

  • The interaction of an electron with an electromagnetic field consists of a term eA · p /m and a term e2A 2/(2m), with electron mass m, elementary charge e, the field’s vector potential A (r), and electron position and momentum operators rand p, respectively [1,2]

  • The combination of the aforementioned features enables high-precision spectroscopy on long-lived circular-state Rydberg atoms trapped in optical lattices [35], utilizing a scheme in which the transition frequency between the circular Rydberg levels is measured via resonant ponderomotive optical lattice (POL)-modulation at microwave frequencies

  • VI B we show that these facts enable a type of sub-Doppler method that is realized automatically in modulated-POL spectroscopy

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Summary

INTRODUCTION

The interaction of an electron with an electromagnetic field consists of a term eA · p /m and a term e2A 2/(2m), with electron mass m, elementary charge e, the field’s vector potential A (r), and electron position and momentum operators rand p , respectively [1,2]. The combination of the aforementioned features enables high-precision spectroscopy on long-lived circular-state Rydberg atoms trapped in optical lattices [35], utilizing a scheme in which the transition frequency between the circular Rydberg levels is measured via resonant POL-modulation at microwave frequencies. This experimental platform may be useful for quantum simulators [36] that are based on circular-state Rydberg-atom arrays. In the present paper we develop such models, investigate quantum-classical correspondence in POL modulation spectroscopy, and exhibit the quantum features in the spectra

OVERVIEW OF LATTICE MODULATION SPECTROSCOPY
Position representation
Momentum representation
Averaging over the thermal momentum distribution
BAND STRUCTURE MODEL
SEMICLASSICAL MODEL
RESULTS
Structure of POL amplitude-modulation spectra
Doppler-free spectroscopy in modulated POL
Temperature insensitivity of spectroscopy in modulated POL
Quantum-classical correspondence
Exact TDSE solution versus perturbative model
POL amplitude-modulation spectra in shallow lattices
POL amplitude-modulation spectra in nonmagic lattices
POL amplitude-modulation spectra for odd-parity transitions
CONCLUSION

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