Quantum mechanics and atomic, molecular, optical (AMO) physics have been
widely studied in the past century. This dissertation covers several topics in the
field of AMO physics that were the focus of my Ph.D. studies, both theoretical and
computational.
The first topic is related to trapping of Rydberg atoms inside an optical trap. The
study focuses on the trapping energy and state mixing of Rydberg atoms based on
different angular momentum state and spin-orbit coupling of the Rydberg electron.
The second topic is the two-electron correlations in an atom, especially double
Rydberg wave packets. We have focused on the rapid autoionization and angular
momentum exchanges between the double Rydberg wave packets. Then, the study of
two-electron correlation is extended to the post-collision interaction (PCI) in Auger
decay and a sequential ionization model. Quantum interference patterns can be found
in the final correlated distributions. In the PCI study, quantum calculations and semiclassical calculations are performed to interpret the interference patterns.
The last topic is the ionization behavior of one-electron Rydberg atoms from
a terahertz single-cycle pulse. We investigate and compare the different ionization
probabilities of a Rydberg electron from an initial stationary state and a wave packet.
Also, studies of the ionization behavior are extended to scaled parameters, where all
physical parameters of the electron and field pulses are scaled.
Funding
Atoms and Ions Interacting with Particles and Fields