Rydberg Atoms

Rydberg atoms are those in which the valence electron is in a state of high principal quantum number n. They are of historical interest since the observation of Rydberg series helped in the initial unraveling of atomic spectroscopy 1 . Since the 1970s, these atoms have been studied mostly for two reasons. First, Rydberg states are at the border between bound states and the continuum, and any process that can result in either excited bound states or ions and free electrons usually leads to the production of Rydberg states. Second, the exaggerated properties of Rydberg atoms allow experiments to be done that would be difficult or impossible with normal atoms.