Rubidium Ionic Core Polarization and Non-Adiabatic Correction Using RF and Microwave Spectroscopy of Rydberg States

A precision measurement of the rubidium ionic core polarizability has been realized at The University of Virginia. Development and implementation of a rubidium Rydberg state spectroscopy apparatus, an appropriate model for interpreting spectroscopic results, analysis, and conclusions are documented and presented herein. Due to experiment design, the spectroscopy measurements in this dissertation feature a greater precision and higher fidelity due to less pronounced systematic effects when compared to previous experiments. Furthermore, the implementation of a non-adiabatic core polarization correction leads to a core polarizability result that is more precise and commensurate with theory, potentially resolving a long-standing discrepancy between experiment and theory. These results may prove to be useful in future experiments and interpretation including, but not limited to: parity non-conservation, black-body radiation shifts in atomic clocks, and quantum computation.