Magnetic trapping of strongly-magnetized Rydberg atoms

Effective magnetic moments of drift Rydberg atoms instrong magnetic fields are obtained for different energy andangular-momentum states. Classical two-body trajectorycalculations and quantum-mechanical one-body calculations areemployed. For heavy atoms such as rubidium, the trapping dynamicscan largely be explained by the net magnetic moment due to thecyclotron and the magnetron motion of the Rydberg electron. Inlight Rydberg atoms such as hydrogen, the intrinsic two-bodynature of the dynamics becomes manifest in that the ionic motionsignificantly contributes to the effective magnetic moment. Also,light drift Rydberg atoms exhibit an anisotropic response tofield-inhomogeneities parallel and transverse to themagnetic-field lines. The results are relevant to magnetictrapping of Rydberg atoms in strong-magnetic-field atom traps.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/42821/1/10053_2005_Article_86.pd