Measurements of blackbody-radiation-induced transition rates between high-lying S, P, and D Rydberg levels
Year: 2022
Authors: Archimi M., Ceccanti M., Distefano M., Di Virgilio L., Franco R., Greco A., Simonelli C., Arimondo E., Ciampini D., Morsch O
Autors Affiliation: Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Universita di Pisa, Largo Bruno Pontecorvo 3, Pisa, 56127, Italy; INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, Pisa, 56124, Italy
Abstract: We report experimental measurements of the rates of blackbody-radiation-induced transitions between high-lying (n > 60) S, P, and D Rydberg levels of rubidium atoms in a magneto-optical trap using a hybrid field ionization and state-selective depumping technique [Archimi et al., Phys. Rev. A 100, 030501(R) (2019); Simonelli et al., Phys. Rev. A 96, 043411 (2017)]. Our results reveal significant deviations of the measured transition rates from theory for well-defined ranges of the principal quantum number. We assume that the most likely cause for those deviations is a modified blackbody spectrum inside the glass cell in which the magneto-optical trap is formed, and we test this assumption by installing electrodes to create an additional microwave cavity around the cell. From the results, we conclude that it should be possible to use such external cavities to control and suppress the blackbody-radiation-induced transitions.
Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW A
Volume: 105 (6) Pages from: 063104-1 to: 063104-8
KeyWords: FIELD-IONIZATION; STATES; LIFETIMES; ATOM; SPECTROSCOPY; DEPOPULATION; RESOLUTIONDOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.105.063104