Double photon excitation of high-rydberg atoms as a long-lived submillimeter detector

Claim 3

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein said metering step further comprises: adjustably opening a leak valve located in the gas supply means between the pressurized cylinder and said detection area.

Claim 4

A method in accordance with claim 1 and comprising the additional step of: pressurizing a desired amount of rare gas in a pressurized container.

Claim 5

A method in accordance with claim 1 and comprising the additional step of: selecting the rare gas from the family including xenon, krypton, argon or neon.

Claim 6

A method in accordance with claim 1 wherein the supplying step further comprises the step of: releasing the rare gas in its ground state into said detection area.

Claim 7

A method in accordance with claim 5 wherein said photon-exciting state further comprises the step of: exciting the rare gas from its ground state to an intermediate state.

Claim 8

A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said second photon excitation step further comprises the step of: further exciting said intermediate state to a particularized level of an np or nd Rydberg series.

Claim 9

A method in accordance with claim 6 wherein said electric field-applying step further comprises the step of: selecting the field strength to ionize the excited np or nd Rydberg level.

Claim 10

A sumbillimeter detector comprising: a pressurized cylinder containing a predetermined quantitiy of a rare gas such as xenon; means for supplying a quantity of rare gas into a cryogenically-cooled detection area; resonance lamp means for photonexciting the rare gas atom by subjecting it to a beam selected from the same rare gas; a wavelength-tunable laser means for further photon-exciting the first excited rare gas atom; means admitting into the doublephoton-excited atom area a source of IR or submillimeter radiation to be measured for fully exciting the rare gas atom; means for applying an ionization electric field across the excited atom; and detecting means responsive to the ion created by the field ionization for measuring the intensity of said radiation.

Claim 11

A sumbillimeter detector comprising: a pressurized cylinder containing a predetermined quantitiy of a rare gas such as xenon; means for supplying a quantity of rare gas into a cryogenically-cooled detection area; resonance lamp means for photonexciting the rare gas atom by subjecting it to a beam selected from the same rare gas; a wavelength-tunable laser means for further photon-exciting the first excited rare gas atom; means admitting into the doublephoton-excited atom area a source of IR or submillimeter radiation to be measured for fully exciting the rare gas atom; means for applying an ionization electric field across the excited atom; and detecting means responsive to the ion created by the field ionization for measuring the intensity of said radiation.

Claim 12

A submillimeter detector in accordance with claim 9 wherein said supplying means further comprises: an adjustable leak valve connected between said pressurized cylinder and said detection area.

Claim 13

A submillimeter detector in accordance with claim 10 wherein said admitting means comprises: means for collecting submillimeter or IR radiation to be measured; and a selectively operable shutter means connected between said collecting means and said detection area.

Claim 14

A submillimeter detector in accordance with claim 9 wherein said lamp and laser means are further characterized by: coaxially directing their respective beams into said detection area.

Claim 15

A submillimeter detector in accordance with claim 12 and further characterized by: said supplying means comprising a valved source of rare gas directed along an axis which intersects said coaxiallydirected beams.