Rydberg atoms in a magnetic quadrupole field

We study electronically excited atoms exposed to a magnetic quadrupole field. In order to describe the electron dynamics, a one-body approach is employed. Due to the inhomogeneity of the field, the spatial and spin degrees of freedom become coupled in a unique way. The underlying unitary and anti-unitary symmetries are discussed in detail leading to remarkable features such as a two-fold degeneracy of any energy level. We analyse the energy level structure throughout a wide range of field gradients. An investigation of the electronic spin properties is performed by studying the spatially dependent spin-polarization which exhibits a rich nodal structure. We compute wavelengths and strengths for electromagnetic transitions and provide the selection rules. A discussion of the so-called ellipsoidal states which exhibit unique properties such as large mean orbital angular momenta and spatial compactness is provided. The property of magnetic field-induced permanent electric dipole moments is analysed in detail. Wherever reasonable, the results obtained for the quadrupole field are compared to the homogeneous field case.