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Preparation of Long-Lived, Non-Autoionizing Circular Rydberg States of Strontium
R C Teixeira1,2, A Larrouy1, A Muni1
1Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, 11, place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France.
Physical Review Letters
|January 15, 2021
Summary
Strontium circular Rydberg atoms with excited ionic cores resist autoionization for milliseconds. This breakthrough enables trapping and laser-cooling, paving the way for quantum interfaces.
Area of Science:
- Quantum technologies
- Atomic physics
- Quantum information science
Background:
- Alkaline earth Rydberg atoms offer unique quantum properties due to their highly excited electrons.
- Rydberg atoms exhibit strong coupling to external fields and other Rydberg atoms.
- Autoionization limits the stability of low angular-momentum Rydberg states when the ionic core is excited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the stability of strontium circular Rydberg atoms with an excited ionic core.
- To explore the potential for trapping and laser-cooling these specific Rydberg atoms.
- To demonstrate novel quantum phenomena for quantum interface applications.
Main Methods:
- Exciting the ionic core of strontium circular Rydberg atoms to a 4D metastable level.
- Observing the autoionization dynamics of these Rydberg atoms over millisecond timescales.
- Performing optical manipulations on the excited ionic core to induce transitions.
Main Results:
- Strontium circular Rydberg atoms with a 4D excited core demonstrated resilience to autoionization for over a millisecond.
- The stability achieved allows for the trapping and laser-cooling of these Rydberg atoms.
- Singlet to triplet transitions were observed, driven by core optical manipulations.
Conclusions:
- Excited-core strontium circular Rydberg atoms overcome autoionization limitations, enhancing their utility in quantum technologies.
- The ability to trap and cool these atoms opens new avenues for quantum simulations and computing.
- Observed transitions facilitate the development of microwave-to-optical quantum interfaces.
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