U.S.-Italy Collaborative Research: Reactive Collisions of Rydberg Atoms

该奖项将支持密苏里大学圣路易斯分校的Jacob Leventhal教授和比萨原子与分子研究所（CNR）的Maria Allegrini博士以及意大利比萨大学的Ennio Arimondo教授之间的合作研究。研究人员之前的合作工作主要集中在里德伯原子性质的实验研究上。下一阶段的目标是研究里德伯原子的光电离，首先通过黑体辐射，然后在将环境温度降低到大约15 K后，通过酒精激光器的远红外辐射。自1934年以来，人们已经认识到高激发（里德伯）原子在各种物理现象中的重要性。最近对同位素分离、热核聚变和天体物理等离子体等应用的兴趣，加上可调谐激光产生状态选择里德伯原子的可用性，导致了这一领域的许多活动。研究人员提出的工作是在以前成功合作的基础上进行的，旨在利用密苏里大学圣路易斯市立大学(University of Missouri-St。路易和比萨。圣路易斯的研究小组在可见光激光器和高激发原子的生产方面有着丰富的经验，而比萨的研究小组在研究里德伯原子的光电离所必需的长波激光器方面有着丰富的经验。因此，他们互补的专业知识应该证明是互利的，并有助于提高我们在这一领域的知识。

This award will support collaborative research between Prof. Jacob Leventhal of the University of Missouri at St. Louis and Dr. Maria Allegrini of the Istituto di Fisica Atomica e Molecolare (CNR) in Pisa together with Prof. Ennio Arimondo of the University of Pisa, Italy. The researchers' previous collaborative work has focused on experimental studies of the properties of Rydberg atoms. The next phase is directed towards the study of photoionization of Rydberg atoms, first by blackbody radiation and later, after reducing the ambient temperature to approximately 15 K, by far infrared radiation from an alcohol laser. The importance of highly excited (Rydberg) atoms in a variety of physical phenomena has been recognized since 1934. Recent interest in applications such as isotope separation, thermonuclear fusion and astrophysical plasmas, coupled with the availability of tunable lasers to produce state selected Rydberg atoms has led to much activity in this area. The proposed work of the researchers, building on previous successful collaboration, is designed to take advantage of experimental techniques developed both at the University of Missouri-St. Louis and in Pisa. The group at St. Louis has considerable experience with visible lasers and the production of highly excited atoms, whereas the group in Pisa has extensive experience with the long wavelength lasers necessary to study photoionization of Rydberg atoms. Consequently, their complementary expertise should prove mutually beneficial and help to advance our knowledge in this area.