Abstract
An atomic Rydberg electron wave packet above the saddle point of the combined Coulomb and static electric field potential [1], created by a short laser pulse, shows a few oscillations in angular momentum (l) and radial co-ordinate before escaping from the atomic potential. Up to now, experimental studies on the dynamics of the wave packet focused on recurrences of wave packets to the atomic core. These studies have been carried out both in the time [2] and frequency domain [3]. We introduce a new device, the atomic streak camera, which measures directly the escape over the saddle point of the Rydberg electron in a static electric field. We found that the life time of the Rydberg electron as measured by an optical technique is not the same as the time it takes the electron to leave the atom.
© 1996 Optical Society of America
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