The Optimal Pair of Rydberg Alkali-Metal Atoms in the Nonsymmetric Penning Ionization Processes


Cite item

Full Text

Open Access Open Access
Restricted Access Access granted
Restricted Access Subscription Access

Abstract

Features of Penning ionization in cold gaseous media of Rydberg alkali-metal atoms have been investigated. In contrast to the hydrogen atom, the corresponding autoionization widths exhibit a strong (by orders of magnitude) dependence on the orbital quantum numbers of the atoms involved in the long-range dipole–dipole interaction. An important feature of Penning ionization is the nontrivial dependence of its efficiency on the Rydberg particle size. For all types of alkali-metal atoms, the optimal highly nonsymmetric configurations of Rydberg pairs have been found that lead to the explosive (by several orders of magnitude) intensification of the free electron formation by means of the Penning ionization processes. This property makes Penning ionization an important means of forming primary charged particles during the cold Rydberg plasma formation. The numerical data for pairs of potassium atoms are reported that demonstrate a significant effect of the Förster resonance on the values of the Penning ionization rate constants.

About the authors

Alaa Mazalam

St. Petersburg State University

Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, 199034

K. Michulis

University of Latvia, Institute of Atomic Physics and Spectroscopy; National Research Nuclear University MEPhI

Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Latvia, Riga, LV-1586; Moscow, 115409

I. I. Beterov

Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences; Novosibirsk State University

Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, Novosibirsk, 630090 ; Novosibirsk, 630090

N. N. Bezuglov

St. Petersburg State University; Rzhanov Institute of Semiconductor Physics, Siberian Branch, Russian Academy of Sciences

Author for correspondence.
Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, 199034 ; Novosibirsk, 630090

A. N. Klyucharev

St. Petersburg State University

Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Russian Federation, St. Petersburg, 199034

A. Ekers

Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Science and Engineering Division,
King Abdullah University of Science and Technology

Email: nikolay.bezuglov@gmail.com
Saudi Arabia, Thuwal, 23955-6900

Supplementary files

Supplementary Files
Action
1. JATS XML

Copyright (c) 2019 Pleiades Publishing, Ltd.