U.S.-Italy Cooperative 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教授与意大利比萨大学的M. Allegrini和E. Arimondo教授合作进行的一项研究。合作的目的是研究高激发原子的相互作用，以便更好地理解经典力学和量子力学之间的原子性质。这项工作代表了80年代早期开始的合作工作的延续，在原子相互作用方面产生了重要的研究。拟议中的实验将把意大利小组的红外专业知识与圣路易斯开发的生产高激发原子的技术结合起来。实验装置的基础是这样一个事实，即高度激发的原子，凭借它们的灵敏度和夸张的反应，提供了有用的原子特性放大，使研究否则难以观察到的效应成为可能。

This award will support Professor Jacob Leventhal of the University of Missouri at St. Louis in a research collaboration with Professors M. Allegrini and E. Arimondo of the University of Pisa, Italy. The purpose of the collaboration is to study the interaction of highly excited atoms in order to better understand atomic properties at the boundary between classical and quantum mechanics. The work, which represents a continuation of collaborative work starting in the early 80's, is producing significant research in atomic interactions. The proposed experiments will combine the infrared expertise of the Italian group with techniques developed in St. Louis for the production of highly excited atoms. Fundamental to the experimental set-up is the fact that highly excited atoms, by virtue of their sensitivity and exaggerated responses, provide useful amplification of atomic properties making it feasible to study effects that would otherwise be difficult to observe.