Issue 22, 2017

Rydberg states of alkali atoms on superfluid helium nanodroplets: inside or outside?

Abstract

Electronic excitations of an electron bound to an alkali metal ion inside a droplet of superfluid 4He are computed via a combination of helium density functional theory and the numerical integration of the Schrödinger equation for a single electron in a modified, He density dependent atomic pseudopotential. The application of a spectral method to the radial part of the valence electron wavefunction allows the computation of highly excited Rydberg states. For low principal quantum numbers, the energy required to push the electron outward is larger than the solvation energy of the ion. However, for higher principal quantum numbers the situation is reversed, which suggests the stability of a system where the ion sits inside the droplet while the valence electron orbits the nanodroplet.

Graphical abstract: Rydberg states of alkali atoms on superfluid helium nanodroplets: inside or outside?

Supplementary files

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
11 Apr 2017
Accepted
12 May 2017
First published
16 May 2017
This article is Open Access
Creative Commons BY license

Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017,19, 14718-14728

Rydberg states of alkali atoms on superfluid helium nanodroplets: inside or outside?

J. V. Pototschnig, F. Lackner, A. W. Hauser and W. E. Ernst, Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2017, 19, 14718 DOI: 10.1039/C7CP02332D

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