Lifetimes of ultralong-range strontium Rydberg molecules in cold dense gases

[摘要] The lifetimes and decay channels of ultralong-range Rydberg molecules created in a dense Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) are examined by monitoring the time evolution of the Rydberg population using field ionization. The Rydberg molecules, which contain tens to hundreds of ground state atoms within the electron orbit, have lifetimes of ∼ 1 to 5 μs, their destruction being attributed to two main processes: formation of ions through associative ionization, and dissociation induced through L-changing reactions. The observed loss rates are consistent with a reaction model that emphasizes the interaction between the Rydberg core ion and its nearest neighbor ground state atom. The application of this model to earlier measurements of strontium dimer lifetimes at lower densities is discussed.

[发布机构] Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rice University, Houston; TX; 77005, United States^1;Department of Physics and Astronomy, Purdue University, West Lafayette; IN; 47907, United States^2;School of Material Sciences and Technology, Universidad Del Turabo, Gurabo; PR 00778, United States^3;Institute for Theoretical Physics, Vienna University of Technology, EU, Vienna, Austria^4

[关键词] Associative ionization;Bose-Einstein condensates;Electron orbits;Field ionization;Ground-state atoms;Measurements of;Nearest neighbors;Rydberg molecules