Revivals of Rydberg wave packets

We examine the revival structure of Rydberg wave packets. These wave packet s exhibit initial classical periodic motion followed by a sequence of colla pse, fractional (or full) revivals, and fractional (or full) superrevivals. The effects of quantum defects on wave packets in alkali-metal atoms and a squeezed-state description of the initial wave packets are also considered . We then examine the revival structure of Rydberg wave packets in the pres ence of an external electric field-that is, the revival structure of Stark wave packets. These wave packets have energies that depend on two quantum n umbers and exhibit new types of interference behavior.