Cold Rydberg atoms

拟议中的研究将使用激光和蒸发冷却的组合来获得低温（绝对零度以上小于1毫开尔文）的铷原子。 在这样的低温下，原子可以被“原子芯片”产生的弱磁场力保持住。 原子芯片是一种利用半导体微加工技术在衬底上形成小（微米级）导线图案的设备。 这些原子芯片将使我们能够将正常的未激发的铷原子放置在距离金属表面明确定义的距离处。 然后，这些原子将被激光激发到里德伯态。 这些“里德伯原子”比基态或较低激发态的原子大得多。 它们由一个带负电荷的电子在一个大的轨道上组成，受到原子中带正电荷的其余部分的吸引力的微弱束缚。 由于这种结合很弱，电子的轨道很容易被小的外部电场干扰。利用里德伯原子的高电场灵敏度，我们将测量附近金属表面的电场。 表面附近的时变电场知之甚少。 这项研究将与依赖于真空中金属表面附近精确控制的电场的设备和装置的开发相关，例如基于离子阱的量子计算，小型化质谱仪，因此与各种领域相关，包括改进现有仪器和前沿研究仪器。我们还将开发一种技术，最大限度地减少低频和静电场对里德堡原子能级的影响，同时保持它们对原子共振频率下高频振荡电场的敏感性。 这将使表面器件和里德伯原子之间发生共振相互作用，从而可能产生一类新型混合器件，该器件将孤立原子的最佳特性与固态器件的最佳特性结合在一起，联合收割机。*该研究计划将涉及在本科和研究生水平的高素质人才在高科技行业相关的技能，包括广泛的培训：光学，激光和电子。

The proposed research will use a combination of laser and evaporative cooling to obtain Rubidium atoms at low temperatures (less than a milliKelvin above absolute zero). At these low temperatures, atoms can be held by the weak magnetic field forces generated by "atom chips". Atom chips are devices in which small (micron sized) wires have been patterned on a substrate using techniques borrowed from semiconductor microfabrication. These atom chips will allow us to place normal unexcited Rubidium atoms at well-defined distances away from metal surfaces. These atoms will then be excited to Rydberg states using lasers. These "Rydberg atoms" are much larger than ground state or less-excited atoms. They consist of a negatively charged electron in a large orbit, weakly bound by the attraction of the positively charged remainder of the atom. Since this binding is weak, the electron's orbital is easily disturbed by small external electric fields.****Using the high electric field sensitivity of Rydberg atoms, we will measure the electric fields due to the nearby metal surface. Time-varying electric fields near surfaces are poorly understood. This research will be of relevance to the development of equipment and devices which rely on precisely controlled electric fields near metal surfaces in vacuum e.g. ion-trap based quantum computing, miniaturized mass spectrometers, and thus is relevance to a variety of areas ranging from improvement of established instrumentation and leading edge research apparatus.****We will also develop a technique that *minimizes* the influence of low-frequency and static electric fields on the energy levels of Rydberg atoms, while retaining their sensitivity to high frequency oscillating electric fields at atomic resonance frequencies. This will enable resonant interactions between surface devices and Rydberg atoms, potentially leading to a new class of hybrid devices that combine the best properties of isolated atoms with those of solid-state devices.***The research program will involve extensive training of highly qualified personnel at the undergraduate and graduate level in skills relevant to high-technology industry including: optics, lasers and electronics.********