Questions tagged [rydberg-states]

The Rydberg states of an atom or molecule are electronically excited states with energies that follow the Rydberg formula as they converge on an ionic state with an ionization energy.

Classically, such a state corresponds to putting one electron into an orbit whose dimensions are very large compared to the size of the leftover ion core. Among the novel properties of these states are extreme sensitivity to external influences such as fields and collisions, extreme reactivity, and huge probabilities for interacting with microwave radiation. A wide variety of types of experiments of current interest in atomic, molecular, and optical physics involve the use of Rydberg states.

Although the Rydberg formula was developed to describe atomic energy levels, it has been used to describe many other systems that have electronic structure roughly similar to atomic hydrogen. In general, at sufficiently high principal quantum numbers, an excited electron - ionic core system will have the general character of a hydrogenic system and the energy levels will follow the Rydberg formula.

Rydberg states have energies converging on the energy of the ion. The ionization energy threshold is the energy required to completely liberate an electron from the ionic core of an atom or molecule. In practice, a Rydberg wave packet is created by a laser pulse on a hydrogenic atom and thus populates a superposition of Rydberg states.

Reference:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rydberg_state