Abstract

The lack of a satisfying connection between the classical and the quantal descriptions of a system in a classically chaotic regime drives the study of “quantum chaos." A single-electron atom in a strong magnetic field is among the simplest of physical systems that exhibit classically chaotic behavior. We study excited Rydberg atoms for which it is possible to produce the necessary magnetic fields in the laboratory. Classical trajectories have been shown to play an important role in understanding spectroscopic studies of this quasi-Landau regime.¹ Here a short ultraviolet pulse is used to excite an electronic wavepacket that travels along these classical trajectories.² Their time-dependent behavior is observed as the classically chaotic regime is entered with increasing magnetic field strength. The time dependence is detected by a phase-sensitive technique³ based upon the interference of two identical, but time-delayed wave packets. It is in essence a Ramsey-fringe technique.

© 1994 IEEE