Oriented elliptic Rydberg atoms have been formed in a thermal beam of
Li atoms by the adiabatic crossed-field method. All coherent elliptic
quantum states from linear to circular can be produced by this method.
The orientation and eccentricity is controlled by the external fields
. While the formation of circular states by the crossed-field method h
as already been established experimentally, the radiative decay of the
Rydberg atoms formed here was measured and compared with theory to ve
rify that highly eccentric elliptic quantum states may also be formed.