Electrostatic trapping and in situ detection of Rydberg atoms above chip-based transmission lines

Beams of helium atoms in Rydberg-Stark states with principal quantum number $n=48$ and electric dipole moments of 4600~D have been decelerated from a mean initial longitudinal speed of 2000~m/s to zero velocity in the laboratory-fixed frame-of-reference in the continuously moving electric traps of a transmission-line decelerator. In this process accelerations up to $-1.3\times10^{7}$~m/s$^2$ were applied, and changes in kinetic energy of $\Delta E_{\mathrm{kin}}=1.3\times10^{-20}$~J ($\Delta E_{\mathrm{kin}}/e = 83$~meV) per atom were achieved. Guided and decelerated atoms, and those confined in stationary electrostatic traps, were detected in situ by pulsed electric field ionisation. The results of numerical calculations of particle trajectories within the decelerator have been used to characterise the observed deceleration efficiencies, and aid in the interpretation of the experimental data.Comment: 13 pages, 5 figure

Electrostatic trapping and in situ detection of Rydberg atoms above chip-based transmission lines

Beams of helium atoms in Rydberg–Stark states with principal quantum number n = 48 and electric dipole moments of 4600 D have been decelerated from a mean initial longitudinal speed of 2000 m s−1 to zero velocity in the laboratory-fixed frame-of-reference in the continuously moving electric traps of a transmission-line decelerator. In this process accelerations up to $-1.3\times {10}^{7}$ m s−2 were applied, and changes in kinetic energy of ${\rm{\Delta }}{E}_{\mathrm{kin}}=1.3\times {10}^{-20}$ J (${\rm{\Delta }}{E}_{\mathrm{kin}}/e=83$ meV) per atom were achieved. Guided and decelerated atoms, and those confined in stationary electrostatic traps, were detected in situ by pulsed electric field ionisation. The results of numerical calculations of particle trajectories within the decelerator have been used to characterise the observed deceleration efficiencies, and aid in the interpretation of the experimental data

Rydberg-Stark deceleration and trapping of helium atoms above electrical transmission-lines

The experimental realisation of a set of surface-based devices for controlling the positions and velocities of Rydberg atoms initially travelling in pulsed supersonic beams is described. The unique aspect of these devices is that they are based on the geometry of two-dimensional electrical transmission-lines and are therefore suited to integration with chip-based microwave circuits to realise a complete Rydberg laboratory on a chip. Such a chip-based laboratory could be exploited in hybrid approaches to quantum information processing, and for studies of collisions and decay processes of highly excited atoms and molecules. The devices operate through the generation of inhomogeneous electric fields and take advantage of the large electric dipole moments associated with high Rydberg states to exert forces on the atoms. In the experiments, helium atoms in Rydberg-Stark states with principal quantum numbers ranging from 48 to 52 and electric dipole moments of 10000 D are employed. The devices developed include electrostatic guides which permitted control over the transverse motion of beams of atoms. These were used to transport samples, initially travelling at 1950 m/s and deflect them away from their initial axis of propagation. The guided atoms were detected by pulsed electric field ionisation. To control the longitudinal motion of the samples, the transmission-lines were modified to permit the generation of sets of continuously moving electric traps. The resulting transmission-line decelerators were then employed to guide, accelerate and decelerate atoms trapped in three-dimensions. Accelerations up to 2.3 x 10^{7} m/s^{2} were applied to decelerate samples from 2000 m/s to zero-velocity in the laboratory-fixed frame of reference, leading to the removal of 80 meV of kinetic energy, the largest achieved in any Stark decelerator to date. The decelerated atoms were trapped in stationary electric traps and detected in situ. The phase-space acceptances of the decelerators were calculated to characterise the effects of acceleration and deceleration on the trapped atoms. The results of the calculations were employed in the interpretation of the experimental data, and to identify effects of collisions and blackbody transitions