Raman mixing of Rydberg angular momenta probed by photoelectron angular distributions

Because of the orbital degeneracy, the optical pulse induced redistribution of the initial single-state population over different-l Rydberg states in the hydrogen atom cannot be probed by, e.g., the traditional ramped-field i onization or the combination of this technique with the two-pulse Ramsey in terferometry. The model calculations performed by us for the ionization fro m a low-lying hydrogenic state via high Rydberg states suggest that such a probe for the different-l spreading could be the photoelectron angular dist ributions measured versus laser intensity. [S1050-2947(99)09001-0].