Noble-gas-induced collisional line broadening of atomic lithium Rydberg superposition states 2S–nS and 2S–nD (n = 4 to 30) measured by trilevel echoes

Abstract

Collisional relaxation of 2S–nS and 2S–nD superposition states in atomic Li vapor is measured with the trilevel photon-echo technique. Principal quantum numbers range from n = 4 to well into the Rydberg regime with n = 30. For the rare-gas perturbers (He, Ne, Ar, Kr, and Xe) the variation of collisional cross section with n is considerably weaker than that previously found with Na vapor.