Characterizing high-$n$ quasi-one-dimensional strontium Rydberg atoms*

The production of high-$n$, $n\sim300$, quasi-one-dimensional strontium Rydberg atoms by two-photon excitation of selected extreme Stark states in the presence of a weak dc field is examined using a crossed laser-atom beam geometry. The polarization of the product states is probed using three independent techniques which are analyzed with the aid of classical-trajectory Monte Carlo simulations that employ initial ensembles based on quantum calculations using a two-active-electron model. Comparisons between theory and experiment demonstrate that the product states have large dipole moments, $\sim1.0-1.2n^2$ $a.u.$ and that they can be engineered using pulsed electric fields to create a wide variety of target states.