dipole

Rydberg atoms, atoms whose outermost electrons are highly excited but not ionized, are potentially important for storing an processing quantum information since they can preserve a superpostion of states for a long time. One problem with Rydberg atoms is that in they are often difficult to handle. One approach is to search for special wavelengths---“magic wavelengths”—at which atoms can be trapped and excited into Rydberg states without disturbing them. JQI researchers with collaborators from U. Delaware and U. Nevada compare precision calculations of these special wavelengths with experimental measurement. This work is featured as an Editor's Suggestion in the journal Physical Review A.