ABSTRACT Atoms in highly excited Rydberg states possess physical characteristics quite unlike those associated with atoms in the ground or low-lying excited states. In particular, they are physically very large and are only very weakly bound. In consequence, collisions can lead to a wide variety of reaction processes many of which are unique to Rydberg species and have very large collision cross sections. In collisions with neutral targets, Rydberg atoms behave not as an atom but rather as a pair of well-separated independent scatterers, namely the core ion and the excited Rydberg electron. In the present article we discuss many of the different reactions that can occur when Rydberg atoms collide with neutral targets, focusing principally on reactions that are dominated by (binary) Rydberg electron-target interactions and include collisions with molecules that attach free low-energy electrons and with polar targets. In certain situations, however, interactions involving the Rydberg core ion are important. This is illustrated using as an example the destruction of ultralong-range Rydberg molecules excited in a cold dense gas.

中文翻译：

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里德堡原子与中性目标的碰撞

摘要 处于高度激发的里德堡态的原子具有与处于基态或低激发态的原子完全不同的物理特性。特别是，它们在物理上非常大，并且只有非常弱的束缚。因此，碰撞会导致各种各样的反应过程，其中许多是里德堡物种独有的，并且具有非常大的碰撞截面。在与中性目标碰撞时，里德堡原子的行为不像一个原子，而是一对分离良好的独立散射体，即核心离子和激发的里德堡电子。在本文中，我们讨论了里德堡原子与中性目标碰撞时可能发生的许多不同反应，主要关注由（二元）里德堡电子 - 目标相互作用主导的反应，包括与附着自由低能电子的分子和极性目标的碰撞。然而，在某些情况下，涉及里德堡核心离子的相互作用很重要。以在冷致密气体中激发的超长程里德堡分子的破坏为例来说明这一点。