Rydberg-Stark deceleration of atoms and molecules

The large electric dipole moments associated with highly excited Rydberg states of atoms and molecules make gas-phase samples in these states very well suited to deceleration and trapping using inhomogeneous electric fields. The methods of Rydberg-Stark deceleration with which this can be achieved are reviewed here. Using these techniques, the longitudinal motion of beams of atoms and molecules moving at speeds as high as 2500 m/s have been manipulated, with changes in kinetic energy of up to | Δ E kin |=1.3×10 −20 J (| Δ E kin |/ e =80 meV or | Δ E kin |/ h c =650 cm −1 ) achieved, while decelerated and trapped samples with number densities of 10 6 – 10 7 cm −3 and translational temperatures of ∼150 mK have been prepared. Applications of these samples in areas of research at the interface between physics and physical chemistry are discussed.