title: Coherent scattering with pulsed matter beams
abstract: We present a quantum theory for the interaction of a quantum target with a time dependent matter beam. When several pulses in the incident beam arrive with a period tau, transitions between levels with an energy difference h/tau can be enhanced. Unlike all previous studies, we find that transitions in passive targets can distinguish between an incoherent beam and a beam with a coherent wave packet structure. As an example, we calculate the transition probability of Rb Rydberg atoms interacting with a pulsed electron beam.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics, Auburn University, Auburn, Alabama 36849 and FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics, Kruislaan 407, 1098 SJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Robicheaux
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Noordam