Microwave probe for the study of ultra-cold circular Rydberg atoms

里德伯原子是原子的高激发态，其中单个电子远离剩余的离子核。 它们表现出夸张的特性;它们很大，对电场非常敏感，并且彼此之间强烈相互作用。 这使得它们作为敏感的探测器和理解基本量子力学的工具而具有吸引力。不幸的是，里德伯原子通常衰变非常快-在千分之一秒内-限制了它们的用途。 然而，有一种特殊类型的里德伯原子，被称为“圆形”里德伯原子，它显示出非常长的衰变时间;它可以持续几乎一秒钟。 在实验中，我们将用所要求的设备制造长寿命的圆形里德伯原子，并研究一种技术，使它们对电场不那么敏感，同时保留它们的其他夸张性质。

Rydberg atoms are highly excited states of atoms where a single electron is located far away from the remaining ion core. They show exaggerated properties; they are large, very sensitive to electric fields, and interact strongly with one-another. This makes them appealing as sensitive detectors and tools for understanding basic quantum mechanics. Unfortunately, Rydberg atoms normally decay very rapidly -- within a thousandth of a second - limiting their usefulness. There is, however, a special type of Rydberg atom, known as a "circular" Rydberg atom, which shows very long decay times; it can be made to last for almost a second. In the experiments with the requested equipment we will produce long-lived circular Rydberg atoms and study a technique for making them less sensitive to electric fields, while retaining their other exaggerated properties.