Pulse-induced focusing of Rydberg wave packets

We demonstrate that strong transient phase-space localization can be achieved by the application of a single impulsive “kick” in the form of a short (600 ps) unidirectional electric-field pulse to a strongly polarized, quasi-one-dimensional Rydberg atom. The underlying classical dynamics is analyzed and it is shown that phase-space localization results from a focusing effect analogous to rainbow scattering. Moreover, it is shown that the essential features of the classical analysis remain valid in a quantum-mechanical treatment of the system in terms of its phase-space Husimi distribution. The degree of phase-space localization is characterized by the coarse-grained Renyi entropy. Transient phase-space localization is demonstrated experimentally using extreme redshifted m=0 potassium Stark states in the n=351 manifold and a short probe pulse. The experimental data are in good agreement with theoretical predictions. The localized state provides an excellent starting point for further control and manipulation of the electron wave packet.