  We propose a ponderomotive trapping mechanism for circular Rydberg atoms that
consists in threading the Rydberg orbital with a tightly focused Gaussian laser
beam. The trap exhibits remarkable properties: it can be made effectively
linear, extremely nonlinear, or have the same trapping frequency, depth, or
nonlinearity for distant Rydberg states. The mechanism is capable of trapping
efficiently highly excited Rydberg states with a single active electron, as
well as ground state atoms using a single beam. Alternatively, the Rydberg atom
can be trapped efficiently by the same beam used to excite it, relaxing optical
constraints in well-shielded environments.
