Mainz 2017 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 36: Rydberg gasses II

A 36.5: Talk

Friday, March 10, 2017, 15:30–15:45, HS 20

A versatile, high-power laser system around 460nm for Rydberg excitation of ultracold potassium — •Alda Arias, Stephan Helmrich, Christoph Schweiger, Lynton Ardizzone, Graham Lochead, and Shannon Whitlock — Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heildeberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg

The development of precise laser sources over the past few decades has enabled almost full control over the ground state properties of ultracold atoms, as well as single-atom electronic properties including Rydberg states. In this talk I will present a versatile laser source emitting more than 1.5W of single frequency light around 460nm. The system consists of a commercial Titanium-Sapphire laser with resonant cavity frequency doubling, stabilized to an external reference cavity and a saturated absorption spectroscopy reference. This laser system is ideally suited for atomic physics experiments such as two-photon excitation of Rydberg states of potassium with principal quantum numbers n > 18. We perform two-photon spectroscopy of the Rydberg states of ultracold potassium in a magneto-optical trap, observing strong loss features that corresponds to the excitation of s and d states, as well as transitions to dipole forbidden p and higher-l states caused by mixing from a small electric field.