1
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Observation of a molecular bond between ions and Rydberg atoms. Nature 2022; 605:453-456. [PMID: 35585342 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-04577-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Atoms with a highly excited electron, called Rydberg atoms, can form unusual types of molecular bonds1-4. The bonds differ from the well-known ionic and covalent bonds5,6 not only by their binding mechanisms, but also by their bond lengths ranging up to several micrometres. Here we observe a new type of molecular ion based on the interaction between the ionic charge and a flipping-induced dipole of a Rydberg atom with a bond length of several micrometres. We measure the vibrational spectrum and spatially resolve the bond length and the angular alignment of the molecule using a high-resolution ion microscope7. As a consequence of the large bond length, the molecular dynamics is extremely slow. These results pave the way for future studies of spatio-temporal effects in molecular dynamics (for example, beyond Born-Oppenheimer physics).
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2
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Stecker M, Nold R, Steinert LM, Grimmel J, Petrosyan D, Fortágh J, Günther A. Controlling the Dipole Blockade and Ionization Rate of Rydberg Atoms in Strong Electric Fields. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2020; 125:103602. [PMID: 32955299 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.125.103602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 07/28/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
We study a hitherto unexplored regime of the Rydberg excitation blockade using highly Stark-shifted, yet long-living, states of Rb atoms subject to electric fields above the classical ionization limit. Such states allow tuning the dipole-dipole interaction strength while their ionization rate can be changed over 2 orders of magnitude by small variations of the electric field. We demonstrate laser excitation of the interacting Rydberg states followed by their detection using controlled ionization and magnified imaging with high spatial and temporal resolution. Our work reveals new possibilities to engineer the interaction strength and dynamically control the ionization and detection of Rydberg atoms, which can be useful for realizing and assessing quantum simulators that vary in space and time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Markus Stecker
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Raphael Nold
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Lea-Marina Steinert
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Jens Grimmel
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - David Petrosyan
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
- Institute of Electronic Structure and Laser, FORTH, GR-70013 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
| | - József Fortágh
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Günther
- Center for Quantum Science, Physikalisches Institut, Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 14, D-72076 Tübingen, Germany
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3
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Gambetta FM, Carollo F, Marcuzzi M, Garrahan JP, Lesanovsky I. Discrete Time Crystals in the Absence of Manifest Symmetries or Disorder in Open Quantum Systems. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2019; 122:015701. [PMID: 31012672 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.122.015701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
We establish a link between metastability and a discrete time-crystalline phase in a periodically driven open quantum system. The mechanism we highlight requires neither the system to display any microscopic symmetry nor the presence of disorder, but relies instead on the emergence of a metastable regime. We investigate this in detail in an open quantum spin system, which is a canonical model for the exploration of collective phenomena in strongly interacting dissipative Rydberg gases. Here, a semiclassical approach reveals the emergence of a robust discrete time-crystalline phase in the thermodynamic limit in which metastability, dissipation, and interparticle interactions play a crucial role. We perform numerical simulations in order to investigate the dependence on the range of interactions, from all to all to short ranged, and the scaling with system size of the lifetime of the time crystal.
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Affiliation(s)
- F M Gambetta
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom and Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - F Carollo
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom and Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - M Marcuzzi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom and Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - J P Garrahan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom and Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - I Lesanovsky
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom and Centre for the Mathematics and Theoretical Physics of Quantum Non-equilibrium Systems, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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4
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Plestid R, Mahon P, O'Dell DHJ. Violent relaxation in quantum fluids with long-range interactions. Phys Rev E 2018; 98:012112. [PMID: 30110820 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.98.012112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Violent relaxation is a process that occurs in systems with long-range interactions. It has the peculiar feature of dramatically amplifying small perturbations, and rather than driving the system to equilibrium, it instead leads to slowly evolving configurations known as quasistationary states that fall outside the standard paradigm of statistical mechanics. Violent relaxation was originally identified in gravity-driven stellar dynamics; here, we extend the theory into the quantum regime by developing a quantum version of the Hamiltonian mean field (HMF) model which exemplifies many of the generic properties of long-range interacting systems. The HMF model can either be viewed as describing particles interacting via a cosine potential, or equivalently as the kinetic XY model with infinite-range interactions, and its quantum fluid dynamics can be obtained from a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation. We show that singular caustics that form during violent relaxation are regulated by interference effects in a universal way described by Thom's catastrophe theory applied to waves and this leads to emergent length scales and timescales not present in the classical problem. In the deep quantum regime we find that violent relaxation is suppressed altogether by quantum zero-point motion. Our results are relevant to laboratory studies of self-organization in cold atomic gases with long-range interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ryan Plestid
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
- Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, 31 Caroline St. N., Waterloo, Ontario, Canada N2L 2Y5
| | - Perry Mahon
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
- Department of Physics, University of Toronto, 60 St. George St., Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S 1A7
| | - D H J O'Dell
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, McMaster University, 1280 Main St. W. Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8S 4M1
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5
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Analysis and correction of errors in nanoscale particle tracking using the Single-pixel interior filling function (SPIFF) algorithm. Sci Rep 2017; 7:16553. [PMID: 29185459 PMCID: PMC5707392 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-14166-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Particle tracking, which is an essential tool in many fields of scientific research, uses algorithms that retrieve the centroid of tracked particles with sub-pixel accuracy. However, images in which the particles occupy a small number of pixels on the detector, are in close proximity to other particles or suffer from background noise, show a systematic error in which the particle sub-pixel positions are biased towards the center of the pixel. This "pixel locking" effect greatly reduces particle tracking accuracy. In this report, we demonstrate the severity of these errors by tracking experimental (and simulated) imaging data of optically trapped silver nanoparticles and single fluorescent proteins. We show that errors in interparticle separation, angle and mean square displacement are significantly reduced by applying the corrective Single-Pixel Interior Filling Function (SPIFF) algorithm. Our work demonstrates the potential ubiquity of such errors and the general applicability of SPIFF correction to many experimental fields.
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6
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Thaicharoen N, Schwarzkopf A, Raithel G. Control of Spatial Correlations between Rydberg Excitations using Rotary Echo. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2017; 118:133401. [PMID: 28409988 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.133401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
We manipulate correlations between Rydberg excitations in cold atom samples using a rotary-echo technique in which the phase of the excitation pulse is flipped at a selected time during the pulse. The correlations are due to interactions between the Rydberg atoms. We measure the resulting change in the spatial pair correlation function of the excitations via direct position-sensitive atom imaging. For zero detuning of the lasers from the interaction-free Rydberg-excitation resonance, the pair-correlation value at the most likely nearest-neighbor Rydberg-atom distance is substantially enhanced when the phase is flipped at the middle of the excitation pulse. In this case, the rotary echo eliminates most uncorrelated (unpaired) atoms, leaving an abundance of correlated atom pairs at the end of the sequence. In off-resonant cases, a complementary behavior is observed. We further characterize the effect of the rotary-echo excitation sequence on the excitation-number statistics.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Thaicharoen
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - A Schwarzkopf
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - G Raithel
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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7
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Direct observation of ultrafast many-body electron dynamics in an ultracold Rydberg gas. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13449. [PMID: 27849054 PMCID: PMC5116092 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13449] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2016] [Accepted: 10/05/2016] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Many-body correlations govern a variety of important quantum phenomena such as the emergence of superconductivity and magnetism. Understanding quantum many-body systems is thus one of the central goals of modern sciences. Here we demonstrate an experimental approach towards this goal by utilizing an ultracold Rydberg gas generated with a broadband picosecond laser pulse. We follow the ultrafast evolution of its electronic coherence by time-domain Ramsey interferometry with attosecond precision. The observed electronic coherence shows an ultrafast oscillation with a period of 1 femtosecond, whose phase shift on the attosecond timescale is consistent with many-body correlations among Rydberg atoms beyond mean-field approximations. This coherent and ultrafast many-body dynamics is actively controlled by tuning the orbital size and population of the Rydberg state, as well as the mean atomic distance. Our approach will offer a versatile platform to observe and manipulate non-equilibrium dynamics of quantum many-body systems on the ultrafast timescale. Studying long-range interactions in the controlled environment of trapped ultracold gases can help our understanding of fundamental many-body physics. Here the authors excite a gas of Rydberg atoms with a ps laser pulse, demonstrating behaviour consistent with many-body correlations beyond mean-field.
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8
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Thaicharoen N, Gonçalves LF, Raithel G. Atom-Pair Kinetics with Strong Electric-Dipole Interactions. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2016; 116:213002. [PMID: 27284655 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.116.213002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2015] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly to a strongly interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately nonpolar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair-correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar C_{3} coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from the permanent electric-dipole moment of the atoms. The results indicate many-body dynamics akin to disorder-induced heating in strongly coupled particle systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Thaicharoen
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - L F Gonçalves
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
- Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, Caixa Postal 369, 13560-970 São Carlos, São Paulo, Brasil
| | - G Raithel
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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9
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Ott H. Single atom detection in ultracold quantum gases: a review of current progress. REPORTS ON PROGRESS IN PHYSICS. PHYSICAL SOCIETY (GREAT BRITAIN) 2016; 79:054401. [PMID: 27093632 DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/79/5/054401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The recent advances in single atom detection and manipulation in experiments with ultracold quantum gases are reviewed. The discussion starts with the basic principles of trapping, cooling and detecting single ions and atoms. The realization of single atom detection in ultracold quantum gases is presented in detail and the employed methods, which are based on light scattering, electron scattering, field ionization and direct neutral particle detection are discussed. The microscopic coherent manipulation of single atoms in a quantum gas is also covered. Various examples are given in order to highlight the power of these approaches to study many-body quantum systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Herwig Ott
- Department of Physics and Research Center OPTIMAS, University of Kaiserslautern, 67663 Kaiserslautern, Germany
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10
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Teixeira RC, Hermann-Avigliano C, Nguyen TL, Cantat-Moltrecht T, Raimond JM, Haroche S, Gleyzes S, Brune M. Microwaves Probe Dipole Blockade and van der Waals Forces in a Cold Rydberg Gas. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2015; 115:013001. [PMID: 26182093 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.115.013001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2015] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We show that microwave spectroscopy of a dense Rydberg gas trapped on a superconducting atom chip in the dipole blockade regime reveals directly the dipole-dipole many-body interaction energy spectrum. We use this method to investigate the expansion of the Rydberg cloud under the effect of repulsive van der Waals forces and the breakdown of the frozen gas approximation. This study opens a promising route for quantum simulation of many-body systems and quantum information transport in chains of strongly interacting Rydberg atoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Celistrino Teixeira
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - C Hermann-Avigliano
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - T L Nguyen
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - T Cantat-Moltrecht
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - J M Raimond
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - S Haroche
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - S Gleyzes
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
| | - M Brune
- Laboratoire Kastler Brossel, Collège de France, CNRS, ENS-PSL Research University, UPMC-Sorbonne Universités, 11 place Marcelin Berthelot, 75005 Paris, France
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11
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Leonhardt K, Wüster S, Rost JM. Switching Exciton Pulses Through Conical Intersections. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:223001. [PMID: 25494068 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.223001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Exciton pulses transport excitation and entanglement adiabatically through Rydberg aggregates, assemblies of highly excited light atoms, which are set into directed motion by resonant dipole-dipole interaction. Here, we demonstrate the coherent splitting of such pulses as well as the spatial segregation of electronic excitation and atomic motion. Both mechanisms exploit local nonadiabatic effects at a conical intersection, turning them from a decoherence source into an asset. The intersection provides a sensitive knob controlling the propagation direction and coherence properties of exciton pulses. The fundamental ideas discussed here have general implications for excitons on a dynamic network.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Leonhardt
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - S Wüster
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - J M Rost
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
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12
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Marcuzzi M, Levi E, Diehl S, Garrahan JP, Lesanovsky I. Universal nonequilibrium properties of dissipative Rydberg gases. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:210401. [PMID: 25479477 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.210401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We investigate the out-of-equilibrium behavior of a dissipative gas of Rydberg atoms that features a dynamical transition between two stationary states characterized by different excitation densities. We determine the structure and properties of the phase diagram and identify the universality class of the transition, both for the statics and the dynamics. We show that the proper dynamical order parameter is in fact not the excitation density and find evidence that the dynamical transition is in the "model A" universality class; i.e., it features a nontrivial Z2 symmetry and a dynamics with nonconserved order parameter. This sheds light on some relevant and observable aspects of dynamical transitions in Rydberg gases. In particular it permits a quantitative understanding of a recent experiment [C. Carr, Phys. Rev. Lett. 111, 113901 (2013)] which observed bistable behavior as well as power-law scaling of the relaxation time. The latter emerges not due to critical slowing down in the vicinity of a second order transition, but from the nonequilibrium dynamics near a so-called spinodal line.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Marcuzzi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Emanuele Levi
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Sebastian Diehl
- Institute for Theoretical Physics, University of Innsbruck, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria and Institut für Theoretische Physik, Technische Universität Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - Juan P Garrahan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Igor Lesanovsky
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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13
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Olmos B, Lesanovsky I, Garrahan JP. Out-of-equilibrium evolution of kinetically constrained many-body quantum systems under purely dissipative dynamics. PHYSICAL REVIEW. E, STATISTICAL, NONLINEAR, AND SOFT MATTER PHYSICS 2014; 90:042147. [PMID: 25375478 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.90.042147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2014] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
We explore the relaxation dynamics of quantum many-body systems that undergo purely dissipative dynamics through non-classical jump operators that can establish quantum coherence. Our goal is to shed light on the differences in the relaxation dynamics that arise in comparison to systems evolving via classical rate equations. In particular, we focus on a scenario where both quantum and classical dissipative evolution lead to a stationary state with the same values of diagonal or "classical" observables. As a basis for illustrating our ideas we use spin systems whose dynamics becomes correlated and complex due to dynamical constraints, inspired by kinetically constrained models (KCMs) of classical glasses. We show that in the quantum case the relaxation can be orders of magnitude slower than the classical one due to the presence of quantum coherences. Aspects of these idealized quantum KCMs become manifest in a strongly interacting Rydberg gas under electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) conditions in an appropriate limit. Beyond revealing a link between this Rydberg gas and the rather abstract dissipative KCMs of quantum glassy systems, our study sheds light on the limitations of the use of classical rate equations for capturing the non-equilibrium behavior of this many-body system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beatriz Olmos
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Igor Lesanovsky
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - Juan P Garrahan
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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14
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Malossi N, Valado MM, Scotto S, Huillery P, Pillet P, Ciampini D, Arimondo E, Morsch O. Full counting statistics and phase diagram of a dissipative Rydberg gas. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 113:023006. [PMID: 25062177 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.113.023006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Ultracold gases excited to strongly interacting Rydberg states are a promising system for quantum simulations of many-body systems. For off-resonant excitation of such systems in the dissipative regime, highly correlated many-body states exhibiting, among other characteristics, intermittency and multimodal counting distributions are expected to be created. Here we report on the realization of a dissipative gas of rubidium Rydberg atoms and on the measurement of its full counting statistics and phase diagram for both resonant and off-resonant excitation. We find strongly bimodal counting distributions in the off-resonant regime that are compatible with intermittency due to the coexistence of dynamical phases. Our results pave the way towards detailed studies of many-body effects in Rydberg gases.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Malossi
- INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - M M Valado
- INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - S Scotto
- Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - P Huillery
- Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud 11, ENS-Cachan, Campus d'Orsay Batiment 505, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - P Pillet
- Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Univ Paris-Sud 11, ENS-Cachan, Campus d'Orsay Batiment 505, 91405 Orsay, France
| | - D Ciampini
- INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy and CNISM UdR Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - E Arimondo
- INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy and CNISM UdR Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
| | - O Morsch
- INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy and Dipartimento di Fisica "E. Fermi," Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
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15
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Anderson DA, Miller SA, Raithel G. Photoassociation of long-range nD Rydberg molecules. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 112:163201. [PMID: 24815648 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.163201] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We observe long-range homonuclear diatomic nD Rydberg molecules photoassociated out of an ultracold gas of Rb87 atoms for 34≤n≤40. The measured ground-state binding energies of Rb87(nD+5S1/2) molecular states are larger than those of their Rb87(nS+5S1/2) counterparts, which shows the dependence of the molecular bond on the angular momentum of the Rydberg atom. We exhibit the transition of Rb87(nD+5S1/2) molecules from a molecular-binding-dominant regime at low n to a fine-structure-dominant regime at high n [akin to Hund's cases (a) and (c), respectively]. In the analysis, the fine structure of the nD Rydberg atom and the hyperfine structure of the 5S1/2 atom are included.
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Affiliation(s)
- D A Anderson
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - S A Miller
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
| | - G Raithel
- Department of Physics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109, USA
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16
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Gil LIR, Mukherjee R, Bridge EM, Jones MPA, Pohl T. Spin squeezing in a Rydberg lattice clock. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 112:103601. [PMID: 24679291 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.103601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We theoretically demonstrate a viable approach to spin squeezing in optical lattice clocks via optical dressing of one clock state to a highly excited Rydberg state, generating switchable atomic interactions. For realistic experimental parameters, these interactions are shown to generate over 10 dB of squeezing in large ensembles within a few microseconds and without degrading the subsequent clock interrogation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L I R Gil
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - R Mukherjee
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - E M Bridge
- Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - M P A Jones
- Joint Quantum Centre (JQC) Durham-Newcastle, Department of Physics, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - T Pohl
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany
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17
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Schempp H, Günter G, Robert-de-Saint-Vincent M, Hofmann CS, Breyel D, Komnik A, Schönleber DW, Gärttner M, Evers J, Whitlock S, Weidemüller M. Full counting statistics of laser excited Rydberg aggregates in a one-dimensional geometry. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2014; 112:013002. [PMID: 24483893 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.112.013002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We experimentally study the full counting statistics of few-body Rydberg aggregates excited from a quasi-one-dimensional atomic gas. We measure asymmetric excitation spectra and increased second and third order statistical moments of the Rydberg number distribution, from which we determine the average aggregate size. Estimating rates for different excitation processes we conclude that the aggregates grow sequentially around an initial grain. Direct comparison with numerical simulations confirms this conclusion and reveals the presence of liquidlike spatial correlations. Our findings demonstrate the importance of dephasing in strongly correlated Rydberg gases and introduce a way to study spatial correlations in interacting many-body quantum systems without imaging.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Schempp
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - G Günter
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | | | - C S Hofmann
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - D Breyel
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - A Komnik
- Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - D W Schönleber
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Gärttner
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - J Evers
- Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik, Saupfercheckweg 1, 69117 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - S Whitlock
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
| | - M Weidemüller
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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18
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Kiffner M, Li W, Jaksch D. Three-body bound states in dipole-dipole interacting Rydberg atoms. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 111:233003. [PMID: 24476267 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.233003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2013] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
We show that the dipole-dipole interaction between three identical Rydberg atoms can give rise to bound trimer states. The microscopic origin of these states is fundamentally different from Efimov physics. Two stable trimer configurations exist where the atoms form the vertices of an equilateral triangle in a plane perpendicular to a static electric field. The triangle edge length typically exceeds R≈2 μm, and each configuration is twofold degenerate due to Kramers degeneracy. The depth of the potential wells and the triangle edge length can be controlled by external parameters. We establish the Borromean nature of the trimer states, analyze the quantum dynamics in the potential wells, and describe methods for their production and detection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kiffner
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543 and Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
| | - Wenhui Li
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543 and Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, Singapore 117542
| | - Dieter Jaksch
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543 and Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom
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19
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Lesanovsky I, Garrahan JP. Kinetic constraints, hierarchical relaxation, and onset of glassiness in strongly interacting and dissipative Rydberg gases. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 111:215305. [PMID: 24313500 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.215305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We show that the dynamics of a laser driven Rydberg gas in the limit of strong dephasing is described by a master equation with manifest kinetic constraints. The equilibrium state of the system is uncorrelated but the constraints in the dynamics lead to spatially correlated collective relaxation reminiscent of glasses. We study and quantify the evolution towards equilibrium in one and two dimensions, and analyze how the degree of glassiness and the relaxation time are controlled by the interaction strength between Rydberg atoms. We also find that spontaneous decay of Rydberg excitations leads to an interruption of glassy relaxation that takes the system to a highly correlated nonequilibrium stationary state. The results presented here, which are in principle also applicable to other systems such as polar molecules and atoms with large magnetic dipole moments, show that the collective behavior of cold atomic and molecular ensembles can be similar to that found in soft condensed-matter systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Igor Lesanovsky
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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20
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Günter G, Schempp H, Robert-de-Saint-Vincent M, Gavryusev V, Helmrich S, Hofmann CS, Whitlock S, Weidemüller M. Observing the dynamics of dipole-mediated energy transport by interaction-enhanced imaging. Science 2013; 342:954-6. [PMID: 24200814 DOI: 10.1126/science.1244843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 175] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Electronically highly excited (Rydberg) atoms experience quantum state-changing interactions similar to Förster processes found in complex molecules, offering a model system to study the nature of dipole-mediated energy transport under the influence of a controlled environment. We demonstrate a nondestructive imaging method to monitor the migration of electronic excitations with high time and spatial resolution, using electromagnetically induced transparency on a background gas acting as an amplifier. The continuous spatial projection of the electronic quantum state under observation determines the many-body dynamics of the energy transport.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Günter
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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21
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Otterbach J, Moos M, Muth D, Fleischhauer M. Wigner crystallization of single photons in cold Rydberg ensembles. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 111:113001. [PMID: 24074081 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.111.113001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2013] [Revised: 07/16/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The coupling of weak light fields to Rydberg states of atoms under conditions of electromagnetically induced transparency leads to the formation of Rydberg polaritons which are quasiparticles with tunable effective mass and nonlocal interactions. Confined to one spatial dimension their low energy physics is that of a moving-frame Luttinger liquid which, due to the nonlocal character of the repulsive interaction, can form a Wigner crystal of individual photons. We calculate the Luttinger K parameter using density-matrix renormalization group simulations and find that under typical slow-light conditions kinetic energy contributions are too strong for crystal formation. However, adiabatically increasing the polariton mass by turning a light pulse into stationary spin excitations allows us to generate true crystalline order over a finite length. The dynamics of this process and asymptotic correlations are analyzed in terms of a time-dependent Luttinger theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johannes Otterbach
- Physics Department, Harvard University, Cambridge, 02138 Massachusetts, USA
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22
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Bannasch G, Killian TC, Pohl T. Strongly coupled plasmas via Rydberg blockade of cold atoms. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 110:253003. [PMID: 23829735 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.110.253003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We propose and analyze a new scheme to produce ultracold neutral plasmas deep in the strongly coupled regime. The method exploits the interaction blockade between cold atoms excited to high-lying Rydberg states and therefore does not require substantial extensions of current ultracold plasma experiments. Extensive simulations reveal a universal behavior of the resulting Coulomb coupling parameter, providing a direct connection between the physics of strongly correlated Rydberg gases and ultracold plasmas. The approach is shown to reduce currently accessible temperatures by more than an order of magnitude, which opens up a new regime for ultracold plasma research and cold ion-beam applications with readily available experimental techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Bannasch
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, D-01187 Dresden, Germany
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23
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Kiffner M, Li W, Jaksch D. Magnetic monopoles and synthetic spin-orbit coupling in Rydberg macrodimers. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2013; 110:170402. [PMID: 23679687 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.110.170402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
We show that sizable Abelian and non-Abelian gauge fields arise in the relative motion of two dipole-dipole interacting Rydberg atoms. Our system exhibits two magnetic monopoles for adiabatic motion in one internal two-atom state. These monopoles occur at a characteristic distance between the atoms that is of the order of one micron. The deflection of the relative motion due to the Lorentz force gives rise to a clear signature of the effective magnetic field. In addition, we consider nonadiabatic transitions between two near-degenerate internal states and show that the associated gauge fields are non-Abelian. We present quantum mechanical calculations of this synthetic spin-orbit coupling and show that it realizes a velocity-dependent beam splitter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Kiffner
- Centre for Quantum Technologies, National University of Singapore, 3 Science Drive 2, Singapore 117543, Singapore
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24
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Observation of spatially ordered structures in a two-dimensional Rydberg gas. Nature 2012; 491:87-91. [DOI: 10.1038/nature11596] [Citation(s) in RCA: 408] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2012] [Accepted: 09/13/2012] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
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25
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Viteau M, Huillery P, Bason MG, Malossi N, Ciampini D, Morsch O, Arimondo E, Comparat D, Pillet P. Cooperative excitation and many-body interactions in a cold Rydberg gas. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2012; 109:053002. [PMID: 23006168 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.109.053002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2012] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
The dipole blockade of Rydberg excitations is a hallmark of the strong interactions between atoms in these high-lying quantum states [M. Saffman, T. G. Walker, and K. Mølmer, Rev. Mod. Phys. 82, 2313 (2010); D. Comparat and P. Pillet, J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 27, A208 (2010)]. One of the consequences of the dipole blockade is the suppression of fluctuations in the counting statistics of Rydberg excitations, of which some evidence has been found in previous experiments. Here we present experimental results on the dynamics and the counting statistics of Rydberg excitations of ultracold rubidium atoms both on and off resonance, which exhibit sub- and super-Poissonian counting statistics, respectively. We compare our results with numerical simulations using a novel theoretical model based on Dicke states of Rydberg atoms including dipole-dipole interactions, finding good agreement between experiment and theory.
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26
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Henkel N, Cinti F, Jain P, Pupillo G, Pohl T. Supersolid vortex crystals in Rydberg-dressed Bose-Einstein condensates. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2012; 108:265301. [PMID: 23004994 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.108.265301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2011] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
We study rotating quasi-two-dimensional Bose-Einstein condensates, in which atoms are dressed to a highly excited Rydberg state. This leads to weak effective interactions that induce a transition to a mesoscopic supersolid state. Considering slow rotation, we determine its superfluidity using quantum Monte Carlo simulations as well as mean field calculations. For rapid rotation, the latter reveal an interesting competition between the supersolid crystal structure and the rotation-induced vortex lattice that gives rise to new phases, including arrays of mesoscopic vortex crystals.
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Affiliation(s)
- N Henkel
- Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, 01187 Dresden, Germany
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27
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Günter G, Robert-de-Saint-Vincent M, Schempp H, Hofmann CS, Whitlock S, Weidemüller M. Interaction enhanced imaging of individual Rydberg atoms in dense gases. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2012; 108:013002. [PMID: 22304259 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.108.013002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2011] [Revised: 11/08/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We propose a new all-optical method to image individual Rydberg atoms embedded within dense gases of ground state atoms. The scheme exploits interaction-induced shifts on highly polarizable excited states of probe atoms, which can be spatially resolved via an electromagnetically induced transparency resonance. Using a realistic model, we show that it is possible to image individual Rydberg atoms with enhanced sensitivity and high resolution despite photon-shot noise and atomic density fluctuations. This new imaging scheme could be extended to other impurities such as ions, and is ideally suited to equilibrium and dynamical studies of complex many-body phenomena involving strongly interacting particles. As an example we study blockade effects and correlations in the distribution of Rydberg atoms optically excited from a dense gas.
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Affiliation(s)
- G Günter
- Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 12, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
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28
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Petrosyan D, Otterbach J, Fleischhauer M. Electromagnetically induced transparency with Rydberg atoms. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2011; 107:213601. [PMID: 22181878 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.107.213601] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2011] [Revised: 10/01/2011] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
We present a theory of electromagnetically induced transparency in a cold ensemble of strongly interacting Rydberg atoms. Long-range interactions between the atoms constrain the medium to behave as a collection of superatoms, each comprising a blockade volume that can accommodate at most one Rydberg excitation. The propagation of a probe field is affected by its two-photon correlations within the blockade distance, which are strongly damped due to low saturation threshold of the superatoms. Our model is computationally very efficient and is in quantitative agreement with the results of the recent experiment of Pritchard et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 193603 (2010)].
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Affiliation(s)
- David Petrosyan
- Fachbereich Physik und Forschungszentrum OPTIMAS, Technische Universität Kaiserslautern, Germany
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