Abstract

We describe measurements of high-resolution spectra and ionization dynamics in a strongly interacting gas of cold Rydberg atoms. Ground- state ⁸⁵Rb atoms are cooled to a few hundred µK in a magneto-optical trap (MOT), and then excited to high Rydberg states by use of a pulse-amplified laser operating near 300 nm. The Rydberg atom density can be higher than 10¹⁰ cm⁻³, depending on the laser power. The laser system produces nearly transform-limited pulses of 8 nsec duration, allowing spectral resolution of about 80 MHz.

© 2001 Optical Society of America