Observation of Radially Localized Atomic Electron Wave Packets

A. ten Wolde; L. D. Noordam; A. Lagendijk; H. B. van Linden van den Heuvell

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.2099

Observation of Radially Localized Atomic Electron Wave Packets

A. ten Wolde, L. D. Noordam, A. Lagendijk, and H. B. van Linden van den Heuvell

Phys. Rev. Lett. 61, 2099 – Published 31 October 1988

Abstract

We have observed a radially localized electron wave packet in a direct pump-probe experiment with 6-ps laser pulses. Use is made of the fact that both excitation and ionization take place predominantly close to the atomic core. A wave packet is created by coherently exciting Rydberg states of rubidium atoms around $n = 41$ with a pump pulse, and detected through ionization with a delayed probe pulse. The wave packet is observed to return to the core twice before the spreading becomes too large.

Received 11 July 1988

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.61.2099

Authors & Affiliations

A. ten Wolde¹, L. D. Noordam¹, A. Lagendijk^1,2, and H. B. van Linden van den Heuvell¹

¹Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM)-Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
²Natuurkundig Laboratorium van de Universiteit van Amsterdam, Valckenierstraat 65, 1018 XE Amsterdam, The Netherlands