The goal of this research is to understand the structure and dynamics of atomic systems in external fields that are comparable to the interior fields and in which the classical motion may be irregular. Rydberg atoms are central to this research because laboratory fields can be comparable to their atomic fields. In addition, the classical counterparts of these systems often undergo a transition from order to chaos as the field or energy is varied. Consequently, Rydberg atoms in applied fields provide a natural testing ground for studying the(1) connections between quantum mechanics and (2)classical dynamics and quantum behavior of chaotic systems. Our understanding of this system has been advanced by high resolution spectroscopy, development of efficient quantum calculations for atoms in electric and magnetic fields, and theoretical advances in classical dynamics.
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