Fano Resonances observed in Helium Nanodroplets

Abstract

Doubly-excited Rydberg states of helium (He) nanodroplets have been studied using synchrotron radiation. We observed Fano resonances related to the atomic N = 2,0 series as a function of droplet size. Although similar qualitatively to their atomic counterparts, the resonance lines are broader and exhibit a shift in energy which increases for the higher excited states. Furthermore, additional resonances are observed which are not seen in atomic systems. We discuss these features in terms of delocalized atomic states perturbed by the surrounding He atoms and compare to singly excited droplets.