Paul Oxley - Rydberg Lithium

Lithium atoms excited to states with principal quantum numbers from n = 8 up to n = 15 have been produced in our lab. The energies of these states have been accurately measured, and in addition the fine structure splitting of the 10p state has been measured. Lithium atoms emerge from a home-built oven and are intersected at right angles by four lasers. Flourescence from the excited atoms is used to frequency stabilize the lasers and determine their energies. The pictures below show some of the equipment we have used in these experiments.

Rydberg Lithium
  • Energy levels for lithium. In our lab excitation to Rydberg p-states takes place via the 2P and 3S states. Two lasers are used to excite from the ground state to avoid loss of atoms in an unexcited ground state hyperfine level.
  • Experimental apparatus used to excite lithium. The lithium beam produced by a home-built oven is intersected at right angles by four lasers. The apparatus shown is configured to frequency lock lasers L1a, L1b, and L2 using the 2P fluorescence.
  • Our lithium oven.
  • Some of the optics used to combine the four laser beams used to excite lithium atoms to the Rydberg state.
  • Experimental vacuum apparatus inside of which lithium is excited to the Rydberg state.
  • End view of the apparatus in the previous picture. The lithium beam is perpendicular to the plane of the page and a laser in resonance with the first transition cuts across it at right angles. Fluorescence from the atoms at 670.962 nm can be seen.
  • Ultra-violet fluorescence signal from lithium atoms which decay from the 9p state to the ground state. The two peaks are the two 9p fine structure levels.
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