Collisions Involving Atoms in High Rydberg States (Physics)

原子物理学的一个基本问题是理解孤立原子之间的相互作用。这种碰撞研究的一个新维度是，在碰撞之前，用精心调谐的激光选择性地激发一个处于高度激发态（“里德堡”）的相互作用原子对。这些里德伯原子具有这样的特性：一个电子几乎完全与母原子分离，几乎像自由电子一样活动。因此，它可以用来探测电子与分子和表面的相互作用。这项工作将在本赠款中进行。这些原子本身的性质也将在电磁场中进行研究。这项工作的结果将有助于我们对原子性质的理解和控制。

A basic problem in atomic physics is the understanding of the interaction via collisions of isolated atoms. A new dimension in the study of such collisions is forming one of the interacting pair of atoms in a highly excited ("Rydberg") state by selectively exciting it just prior to the collision with a carefully-tuned laser. These Rydberg atoms have the property that one electron is almost completely decoupled from the parent atom, and acts almost as a free electron. It can thus be used to probe the interaction of electrons with molecules and surfaces. Such work will be carried out in the present grant. The properties of these atoms themselves will also be studied in electromagnetic fields. The results of this work will aid in our understanding and control of atomic properties.