Coherence and decay of Rydberg wave Packets

Abstract
Calculations are presented that show the response of an atom to a picosecond laser pulse which resonantly excites a manifold of Rydberg states. The coherent atomic state that is produced is of the form of a spatially localized wave packet. The motion, decay, and reformation of the wave packet are described and related to the complicated quantum beat pattern that appears in the subsequent spontaneous decay.