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| Autori principali: | , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| Soggetti: | |
| Accesso online: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.24045 |
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| _version_ | 1866911236440981504 |
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| author | Luo, Changjie Fang, Feng Zhou, Wenchang Zhang, Peng Ma, Xinwen Yang, Jie |
| author_facet | Luo, Changjie Fang, Feng Zhou, Wenchang Zhang, Peng Ma, Xinwen Yang, Jie |
| contents | We observe a fast Penning ionization in a dilute gas of cold rubidium Rydberg atoms, in the presence of a static electric field of 50 V/cm, with the ionization rate coefficients for two specific states being measured, which are orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical predictions in field-free space. Our analysis based on a polarized two-atom model reveals that the ionization threshold of Rydberg atoms is lowered by the static electric field, reducing the energy exchange required for Penning ionization and increasing the ionization rate. Beyond this, the dipole-dipole interaction strengthened by the electric field between two Rydberg atoms at a micrometer-scale distance leads to double ionization of the atoms pair, opening a new autoionization channel. Such enhancement of the Penning ionization by a static electric field poses both a threat to the stability and a potential control strategy for quantum systems composed of cold Rydberg atoms with micrometer-scale interatomic separations. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2510_24045 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Fast Penning Ionization of Cold Rydberg atoms in an Electric Field Luo, Changjie Fang, Feng Zhou, Wenchang Zhang, Peng Ma, Xinwen Yang, Jie Atomic Physics We observe a fast Penning ionization in a dilute gas of cold rubidium Rydberg atoms, in the presence of a static electric field of 50 V/cm, with the ionization rate coefficients for two specific states being measured, which are orders of magnitude higher than the theoretical predictions in field-free space. Our analysis based on a polarized two-atom model reveals that the ionization threshold of Rydberg atoms is lowered by the static electric field, reducing the energy exchange required for Penning ionization and increasing the ionization rate. Beyond this, the dipole-dipole interaction strengthened by the electric field between two Rydberg atoms at a micrometer-scale distance leads to double ionization of the atoms pair, opening a new autoionization channel. Such enhancement of the Penning ionization by a static electric field poses both a threat to the stability and a potential control strategy for quantum systems composed of cold Rydberg atoms with micrometer-scale interatomic separations. |
| title | Fast Penning Ionization of Cold Rydberg atoms in an Electric Field |
| topic | Atomic Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2510.24045 |