Surface-Electrode Rydberg-Stark Decelerator

Hydrogen atoms in Rydberg states with principal quantum numbers between 23 and 70 have been accelerated, decelerated, and electrostatically trapped using a surface-electrode Rydberg-Stark decelerator. By applying a set of oscillating electrical potentials to a two-dimensional array of electrodes on a printed circuit board (PCB), a continuously moving, three-dimensional electric trap with a predefined velocity and acceleration is generated. From an initial longitudinal velocity of $760\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$, final velocities of the Rydberg atoms ranging from $1200\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ to zero velocity in the laboratory-fixed frame of reference were achieved. Accelerated or decelerated atoms were detected directly by pulsed electric-field ionization. Atoms trapped at zero mean velocity above the PCB were reaccelerated off the PCB before field ionization.

Figure 1

(a) Schematic diagram of the surface-electrode-based Rydberg-Stark decelerator and surrounding photoexcitation and field-ionization regions. (b) Oscillating potentials applied to the 11 electrodes for deceleration from $v_i=760\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ to $v_f=300\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$.

Figure 2

Electric-field distribution in (a) the $xz$ plane containing the trap minima and (b) the $x=0$ plane. The positions of the decelerator electrodes are indicated on the horizontal axis in (b). The 0 V plate is located at $y=-0.75\mathrm{mm}$.

Figure 3

(a) Experimental and (b) simulated H-atom time-of-flight distributions demonstrating acceleration or deceleration at $n=31$ from $v_i=760\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ to $v_f=1200$, 1000, 600, 450, 300, and $200\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$.

Figure 4

Spectrum demonstrating the range of Rydberg states that can be decelerated from $v_i=760\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$ to $v_f=300\mathrm{m}/\mathrm{s}$. The field-free positions of the $n=23–65$ Rydberg states below the series limit are indicated by vertical lines.

Figure 5

H-atom time-of-flight distributions recorded after electrostatic trapping followed by reacceleration off the PCB for (a) ${\tau }_{\mathrm{trap}}=10\mu \mathrm{s}$, (b) ${\tau }_{\mathrm{trap}}=20\mu \mathrm{s}$, and (c) ${\tau }_{\mathrm{trap}}=40\mu \mathrm{s}$.