Rydberg to plasma evolution in a dense gas of very excited atoms
- 1 January 1982
- journal article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Journal of Physics B: Atomic and Molecular Physics
- Vol. 15 (2) , L49-L55
- https://doi.org/10.1088/0022-3700/15/2/004
Abstract
A Rydberg atom gas quickly evolves into a plasma above a threshold density. The process is attributed to Rydberg-Rydberg and Rydberg-electron collisions occurring faster than the medium expansion. Observations are found in good agreement with a simple rate equation model. This effect is different from a Mott transition. Conditions for the occurrence of this latter effect in a Rydberg atom gas are briefly discussed.Keywords
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