Phys. Rev. A 78, 040704(R) (2008) [4 pages]Melting a frozen Rydberg gas with an attractive potential
We report clear evidence of the role of the attractive dipole-dipole interaction in Penning ionization of Rydberg atoms, leading to the formation of an ultracold plasma. Penning ionization of np Rydberg cesium atoms does not occur for states with n<42, which have repulsive potentials, but it does occur for states of n larger than 42, which have attractive potentials. Blackbody radiation is mostly responsible for the background and initial ionization, although ion–Rydberg-atom collisions and population transfer due to limited superradiance may have to be considered. © 2008 The American Physical Society URL:
http://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevA.78.040704
DOI:
10.1103/PhysRevA.78.040704
PACS:
32.80.Ee, 34.20.Cf, 37.10.De
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