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Confined Atoms
J. P. Connerade, C. Garcia-Segundo, A.J. Smith and S.D. Hogan
Experiments on Rydberg atoms in crossed electric and magnetic fields have been extended into a range where manifestations of 'quantum chaos' are expected, and where theoretical predictions based on quantum mechanics presently exceed the computational capabilities of world-leading theoretical groups. Interesting regularities have been observed which extend the current state of knowledge, and the implications of our results are being assessed. Our experiment is currently the only one capable of yielding such information on systems with classically chaotic dynamics in three-dimensions.
The theoretical study of confined atoms has been advanced through the investigation of non-spherical systems with spheroidal deformations, based on similar models for metallic clusters, and through the investigation of different types of confining shell.
Our work on the development of new detectors has progressed with the support of Shimadzu Research Laboratories (Europe) Ltd, leading to a joint patent application filed on behalf of SRL and Imperial College.
Figure 1: High-lying sigma minus Rydberg states of barium in crossed electric
and magnetic fields.