Diffusion dynamics of Rydberg states in radiation field with continuous spectrum

Redistribution of population and ionization of atomic Rydberg states due to multistep cascade transitions between states under the influence of radiation with continuous spectrum is considered. Consideration is carried up both by simulation of kinetic equations for state populations and with the use of a diffusion approximation based on the Fokker–Planck equation. On the example of sodium atom under the influence of radiation with rectangular spectrum a good agreement between the diffusion approximation and the kinetic equation simulation is shown. In the frame of the diffusion approximation some estimations are derived for the state populations, ionization rates and minimal spectral density of radiation necessary for significant ionization.