Strongly correlated excitation of a quasi-1D Rydberg gas

Malossi, Nicola; Valado, María Martínez; Scotto, Stefano; Morsch, O.; Arimondo, E.; Ciampini, Donatella

doi:10.1088/1742-6596/497/1/012031

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 34 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…The question then arises as to the physical processes that might account for this behavior. One mechanism that might lead to accelerated Rydberg atom production is that suggested by earlier workers studying the excitation of (repulsively-interacting) Rydberg atoms in cold quasione-dimensional (quasi-1D) gases [15,17] and in thin vapor cells [18]. Studies with quasi-1D gases revealed broad asymmetric excitation spectra together with increased second and third order statistical moments of the Rydberg number distribution.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Trap losses induced by near-resonant Rydberg dressing of cold atomic gases

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The near-resonant dressing of cold strontium gases and BECs contained in an optical dipole trap (ODT) with the 5s30s 3 S1 Rydberg state is investigated as a function of the effective two-photon Rabi frequency, detuning, and dressing time. The measurements demonstrate that a rapid decrease in the ground-state atom population in the ODT occurs even for weak dressing and when well detuned from resonance. This decrease is attributed to Rydberg atom excitation which can lead to direct escape from the trap and to population of very-long-lived 5s5p 3 P0,2 metastable states. The effects of interaction between Rydberg atoms including those populated by black-body radiation are analyzed. The work has important implications when considering the use of Rydberg dressing to control the interactions between dressed ground-state atoms.

show abstract

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Trap losses induced by near-resonant Rydberg dressing of cold atomic gases

et al. 2016

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…( )) and N t á ñ ( ) are respectively the variance and mean of the ion signal at time t. The Mandel Q parameter is a measure of the deviation of a repeated measurement from Poissonian statistics, with Q>0 indicating super-Poissonian signals and Q<0 indicating sub-Poissonian signals [38]. Super-Poissonian signals, such as those we demonstrate in figure 3, are often associated with anti-blockade and collective excitation; sub-Poissonian signals are often associated with blockade effects and nonlinear excitation suppression, and also detector saturation [39].…”

Section: Experimental Techniquesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Coulomb anti-blockade in a Rydberg gas

et al. 2019

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

We perform a comprehensive investigation of the coupling between a Rydberg-dressed atomic gas and an ultra-cold plasma (UCP). Using simultaneous time-resolved measurements of both neutral atoms and ions, we show that plasma formation occurs via a Coulomb anti-blockade mechanism, in which background ions DC Stark shift nearby atoms into resonance at specific distances. The result is a highly correlated growth of the Rydberg population that shares some similarities with that previously observed for van der Waals interactions. We show that a rate equation model that couples the laserdriven Rydberg gas to the UCP via a Coulomb anti-blockade mechanism accurately reproduces both the plasma formation and its subsequent decay. Using long-lived high angular momentum states as a probe, we also find evidence of a crossover from Coulomb anti-blockade to Coulomb blockade at high density. As well as shedding light on loss mechanisms in Rydberg-dressed gases, our results open new ways to create low-entropy states in UCPs. Introduction/motivationHybrid quantum systems of ultracold atoms and ions are emerging as a platform for fundamental research in quantum physics [1]. Recently, Rydberg states have received attention as a way to control the coupling between ionic and atomic systems [2-5], for example, using Coulomb blockade from a single ion to suppress Rydberg excitation [6]. Ultracold mixtures of Rydberg atoms and ions have also been studied in the context of cold Rydberg gases, where it was generally found that ions are almost always present due to processes such as collisions between nearby Rydberg atoms and blackbody photoionization. Indeed, studies using resonant laser excitation of Rydberg states have shown an ultra-cold plasma (UCP) under conditions of strong excitation, both in the pulsed [7-9] and continuously driven [10, 11] regimes.In this paper, we demonstrate that an off-resonant excitation of the Rydberg state can be used to tailor the the interaction between Rydberg atoms and ions in an ultracold gas. We show that plasma formation occurs via a Coulomb anti-blockade mechanism, illustrated in figure 1(b), where background ions DC Stark shift nearby atoms into resonance at specific distances. The result is a highly correlated 'facilitated growth' of the Rydberg population that shares some similarities with that previously observed using van der Waals anti-blockade [12]. A rate equation model that couples the driven Rydberg gas to an UCP via this correlated excitation model accurately reproduces both the initial creation and subsequent decay of the observed ion signal. At longer times, the ionization of long-lived high angular momentum Rydberg states produced in the plasma provides evidence for the interplay between Coulomb blockade [6] and Coulomb anti-blockade in the plasma. In future experiments, controlling this process could provide a route to creating an UCP with a strongly correlated ionic state [13].Our results also provide a strategy for minimising losses due to ionization in cold Rydberg gas experiments, p...

show abstract

“…At atom densities of ∼10 13 -10 14 cm −3 the nearest-neighbor separations are much less than the blockade radius, a regime in which Rydberg-Rydberg interactions can lead to sizable energy shifts for subsequent excitations. In the case of n 3 S 1 states which display isotropic, short-range repulsive interactions, excitation of a single Rydberg atom then allows, for blue laser detunings, resonant excitation of neighboring (ground-state) atoms to Rydberg states [65,66]. Whereas such a process cannot account for the losses seen when red detuned, creation of 30 3 S 1 atoms can also lead to population of neighboring highn n 3 P 0,1,2 states through blackbody-radiation-induced transitions or superradiance.…”

Section: Rydberg Dressingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent advances in Rydberg physics using alkaline-earth atoms

Dunning¹,

Killian²,

Yoshida³

et al. 2016

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this brief review, the opportunities that the alkaline-earth elements offer for studying new aspects of Rydberg physics are discussed. For example, the bosonic alkaline-earth isotopes have zero nuclear spin which eliminates many of the complexities present in alkali Rydberg atoms, permitting simpler and more direct comparison between theory and experiment. The presence of two valence electrons allows the production of singlet and triplet Rydberg states that can exhibit a variety of attractive or repulsive interactions. The availability of weak intercombination lines is advantageous for laser cooling and for applications such as Rydberg dressing. Excitation of one electron to a Rydberg state leaves behind an optically active core ion allowing, for high-L states, the optical imaging of Rydberg atoms and their (spatial) manipulation using light scattering. The second valence electron offers the possibility of engineering long-lived doubly excited states such as planetary atoms. Recent advances in both theory and experiment are highlighted together with a number of possible directions for the future.

show abstract

Strongly correlated excitation of a quasi-1D Rydberg gas

Cited by 5 publications

References 34 publications

Trap losses induced by near-resonant Rydberg dressing of cold atomic gases

Trap losses induced by near-resonant Rydberg dressing of cold atomic gases

Coulomb anti-blockade in a Rydberg gas

Recent advances in Rydberg physics using alkaline-earth atoms

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About