  Rydberg states of atomic helium with principal quantum numbers ranging from
n=20 to n=100 have been prepared by non-resonance-enhanced single-color
two-photon excitation from the metastable 2 {^3}S{_1} state. Photoexcitation
was carried out using linearly and circularly polarized pulsed laser radiation.
In the case of excitation with circularly polarized radiation, Rydberg states
with azimuthal quantum number |m_{\ell}|=2 were prepared in zero electric
field, and in homogeneous electric fields oriented parallel to the propagation
axis of the laser radiation. In sufficiently strong electric fields, individual
Rydberg-Stark states were resolved spectroscopically, highlighting the
suitability of non-resonance-enhanced multiphoton excitation schemes for the
preparation of long-lived high-|m_{\ell}| hydrogenic Rydberg states for
deceleration and trapping experiments. Applications of similar schemes for
Doppler-free excitation of positronium atoms to Rydberg states are also
discussed.
