Direct observation of circular Rydberg electrons in a Rydberg matter surface layer by electronic circular dichroism

The circular dichroism of a surface layer containing K (potassium) Rydberg species and K_N Rydberg matter clusters is studied. The scattering that is apparently shifted in wavelength from the laser line is due to a phase-delay Rabi-flopping process, caused by the Rydberg species in the surface layer (Holmlid 2004 J. Phys. Chem. A 108 11285). With circular polarized light, a strong right-left polarized intensity asymmetry is observed in the Rabi-flopping scattered light, which indicates a chiral scatterer in the Rydberg surface layer. We conclude that the chiral entities are the circular Rydberg electrons with their large magnetic momenta.