Twin capture Rydberg state excitation enhanced with few-cycle laser pulses

Abstract

Quantum excitation used to be regarded as a transient process that takes no time and the behind physics remains mystery. Recent research shows that Rydberg-state excitation with ultrashort laser pulses can be investigated and manipulated with the state-of-the-art few-cycle pulses. In this work, we found theoretically that the Rydberg state excitation probability is more efficient with short laser pulse, and modulated by varying the laser intensities. We uncover a new facet of the excitation dynamics: the launching of electron wave packet through strong-field ionization, the reentry of the electron into the atomic potential, and the crucial step that the electron makes a U-turn leading to twin captures into Rydberg orbitals. By tuning the laser intensity, we show the excitation of Rydberg state can be coherently controlled in sub-optical-cycle time scale. Our work paves the way toward ultrafast control and coherent manipulation of Rydberg states, thus benefits Rydberg-state-based quantum technology.