The population of a beam of lithium atoms has been transferred from a low angular momentum Rydberg state to a state with $\mathrm{}\left|m\right|=n-1\mathrm{}$, with nearly 100% efficiency. Selective field ionization is employed to detect the high $\mathrm{}\left|m\right|\mathrm{}$ state. Transfer occurs by a series of adiabatic rapid passages; it can also occur by a single multiphoton process.

• Received 5 August 1983

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.51.1430