Highly excited Rydberg states of hydrogen from a high-temperature diffusion source

The methods used for the formation and observation of HR (highly excited Rydberg) states of alkali are adopted here for the study of hydrogen HR states. Electronically highly excited states are formed in a hydrogen-filled diffusion source with a graphite foil as emitter at high temperatures. The excited states are detected by electrostatic methods, mainly by their interaction with a well shielded collector. Excited negative hydrogen and/or alkali ions are formed at the first grid in the analysing device, and give emission of electrons at the collector. The flux from the source can be cut off instantaneously with a beam flag, which reveals time constants of the order of minutes in the signal. It is concluded that surface layers of excited states are formed on the electrode surfaces. A condensed phase of electronically excited so-called Rydberg matter was predicted by previous authors. A similar type of matter appears to be found in the present study. (Author)