Microwave Control of Rydberg Systems

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This project focuses on experiments in which microwave fields are used to manipulate highly excited, or Rydberg, atoms. The objectives of the project are to understand how atoms are ionized by microwave fields at frequencies that range from the frequency of the Rydberg electrons orbital frequency to frequencies as much as fifty times higher. The goal is to try to determine if the electron orbit becomes synchronized with the microwave field if the microwave frequency is at or very near the classical orbital frequency of the Rydberg electron. If this is the case, this should provide an interesting connection between quantum mechanics and classical physics. On the broader impact, Rydberg atoms appear to be excellent systems for some applications, such as far infrared detection and quantum computing.