Quantum localization in the three-dimensional kicked Rydberg atom

Abstract

We study the three-dimensional (3D) unidirectionally kicked Rydberg atom. For parabolic initial states elongated in the direction of the kicks we show that the ionization of the quantum system is suppressed as compared to the classical counterpart and that the quantum wave function is localized along all degrees of freedom, whereas the classical system is globally diffusive. We discuss the connection to the previously studied one-dimensional (1D) model of the kicked Rydberg atom and verify that the 1D model is a good approximation to the 3D quantum case in the limiting case of the most elongated initial states. We further study the quantum phase-space distribution (Husimi distribution) of the eigenstates of the period-one time-evolution (Floquet) operator and show that the eigenstates are localized in phase space. For the most elongated parabolic initial state, we are able to identify the unstable periodic orbits around which Floquet states localize. We discuss the possibility of observing quantum localization in high Rydberg states in $ng100.$