Adiabatic stabilization of a circular state: theory compared to experiment

The probability that an atom of hydrogen, initially in the 5g(m=4) state, survives a 90-fs pulse of 620 nm wavelength is calculated both by direct integration of the time-dependent Schroedinger equation and by a Floquet calculation. The two methods give virtually identical results. The survival probability calculated for a one-electron model of neon, for the same initial state, pulse duration and wavelength, is in fair quantitative agreement with the experimental data of van Druten et al [Phys. Rev. A 55, 622 (1997)].