Session P2: Rydberg Physics

10:30 AM–12:54 PM, Friday, June 8, 2007
TELUS Convention Centre - Macleod C

Chair: B. Dunning, Rice University

Abstract ID: BAPS.2007.DAMOP.P2.4

Abstract: P2.00004 : Forming, trapping, and cooling neutral antimatter: strongly magnetized highly excited antihydrogen atoms

12:18 PM–12:54 PM

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Author:

  Hossein Sadeghpour
    (Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics)

A theoretical framework for the formation of Rydberg atoms in strongly magnetized nonneutral plasma is described with an eye toward the production of highly excited Rydberg antihydrogen atoms at CERN. A number of challenges hindering a quantitative understanding of how Hbar atoms are formed- the details of velocity and field ionization spectra- are overcome. It is shown that a cooling technique due to spontaneous decay efficiently brings the Rydberg atoms to their ground state. The long-time dynamics in strong inhomogeneous magnetic field traps is numerically investigated using classical techniques, whereas the atomic state-specific structure is fully described quantum mechanically. Analytical expressions for the two limits of cooling- adiabatic and sudden cascades- as a function of trapping magnetic multipole order will be given.

To cite this abstract, use the following reference: http://meetings.aps.org/link/BAPS.2007.DAMOP.P2.4