Induced THz transitions in Rydberg caesium atoms for application in antihydrogen experiments

Antihydrogen atoms are produced at CERN in highly excited Rydberg states. However, precision measurements require anti-atoms in ground state. Whereas experiments currently rely on spontaneous emission only, simulations have shown that THz light can be used to stimulate the decay towards ground state...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inarXiv.org
Main Authors Vieille-Grosjean, Mélissa, Dimova, Emiliya, Mazzotta, Zeudi, Comparat, Daniel, Wolz, Tim, Malbrunot, Chloé
Format Paper Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Ithaca Cornell University Library, arXiv.org 26.01.2021
Subjects
Antihydrogen
Atomic properties
Blackbody
Cesium
Ground state
Light sources
Matter & antimatter
Photoionization
Physics - Atomic Physics
Rydberg states
Spontaneous emission
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Summary:Antihydrogen atoms are produced at CERN in highly excited Rydberg states. However, precision measurements require anti-atoms in ground state. Whereas experiments currently rely on spontaneous emission only, simulations have shown that THz light can be used to stimulate the decay towards ground state and thus increase the number of anti-atoms available for measurements. We review different possibilities at hand to generate light in the THz range required for the purpose of stimulated deexcitation. We demonstrate the effect of a blackbody type light source, which however presents drawbacks for this application including strong photoionization. Further, we report on the first THz transitions in a beam of Rydberg caesium atoms induced by photomixers and conclude with the implications of the results for the antihydrogen case.
ISSN:2331-8422
DOI:10.48550/arxiv.2101.01047