Hydrogen in Strong DC and Low Frequency Fields

M. H. Nayfeh, D. Humm, K. Ng

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingChapter

Abstract

The last five years have seen an extensive effort by theoreticians and experimentalists aimed at the understanding of the response of atoms to strong external fields of all varieties: electric, magnetic or radiation, applied individually or simultaneously.1–3 The interest stems from the ability to produce, in the laboratory, fields which are comparable in strength to internal atomic fields. Although it is almost impossible to create dc fields in the laboratory (109 V/cm) which are strong enough to disrupt atoms in their normal states, it is possible to do so with radiation fields. On the other hand, a Rydberg atom, which can be thousands of angstroms in size, is very sensitive to external perturbations, and the Coulomb field of the nucleus can be overcome by an external electric field of only 5 kV/cm. Thus the early phase of entry of atomic physics into the strong-field regime has been accomplished by dealing with highly excited states, rather than by generating enormous laboratory fields. Diverse strong field effects are now studied in the laboratory under easily controlled conditions. These studies have extended the scope of research in areas which once used only weak field effects, and they have also opened up new avenues.
Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAtoms in Strong Fields
EditorsCleanthes A Nicolaides, Charles W Clark, Munir H Nayfeh
PublisherSpringer
Chapter6
Pages133-153
ISBN (Electronic)9781475793345
ISBN (Print)9780306434143, 9781475793369
DOIs
StatePublished - 1990

Publication series

NameNATO Science Series B
Volume212
ISSN (Print)0258-1221

Keywords

  • Atomic Beam
  • Stark State
  • Field Plate
  • Permanent Dipole Moment
  • Transition Dipole Moment

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  • Atoms in Strong Fields

    Nicolaides, C. A. (Editor), Clark, C. W. (Editor) & Nayfeh, M. H. (Editor), 1990, Springer. 540 p. (NATO Science Series B; vol. 212)

    Research output: Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference proceedingpeer-review

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