RELATIVISTIC THEORY OF EXCITATION AND IONIZATION OF HEAVY ALKALI RYDBERG ATOMS IN A BLACK-BODY RADIATION FIELD: NEW DATA
The combined relativistic energy approach and relativistic many-body perturbation theory with the zeroth Dirac-Fock potential approximation are used for computing the thermal Blackbody radia- tion ionization characteristics of the alkali Rydberg atoms, in particular, the rubidium and caesium in Rydberg states with principal quantum number n=20-100. Preliminary application of theory to computing ionization rate for the Rydberg sodium atom in the have demonstrated physically reason- able agreement between the theoretical and experimental data. The accuracy of the theoretical data is provided by a correctness of the corresponding relativistic wave functions and accounting for the exchange-correlation effects.