The detection of 300 °K blackbody radiation with Rydberg atoms

15 March 1979

journal article
research article
Published by AIP Publishing in Applied Physics Letters

Vol. 34 (6) , 369-371
https://doi.org/10.1063/1.90792

Abstract

Using selective field ionization (SFI) of Na Rydberg atoms we have detected the 300 °K blackbody radiation which induces the Na transitions 17s→17p, 18s→18p, 17d→18p, and 17d→18f frequencies of 27.3, 22.8, 7.4, and 41.6 cm⁻¹, respectively. Investigation of the probable collisional effects show that they are negligible at 300 °K and allow us to project temperatures of <25 °K for Rydberg‐atom long‐wave detectors.

Keywords

This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:

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