  Quantum control of the pathway along which a Rydberg electron field ionizes
is experimentally and computationally demonstrated. Selective field ionization
is typically done with a slowly rising electric field pulse. The $(1/n^*)^4$
scaling of the classical ionization threshold leads to a rough mapping between
arrival time of the electron signal and principal quantum number of the Rydberg
electron. This is complicated by the many avoided level crossings that the
electron must traverse on the way to ionization, which in general leads to
broadening of the time-resolved field ionization signal. In order to control
the ionization pathway, thus directing the signal to the desired arrival time,
a perturbing electric field produced by an arbitrary waveform generator is
added to a slowly rising electric field. A genetic algorithm evolves the
perturbing field in an effort to achieve the target time-resolved field
ionization signal.

Atomic Physics