Berlin 2014 – wissenschaftliches Programm
Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe
Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 32: Poster: Quantum gases, ultracold atoms and molecules
Q 32.84: Poster
Mittwoch, 19. März 2014, 16:30–18:30, Spree-Palais
Rydberg tomography of an ultra-cold atomic cloud — •María M. Valado1,2, Nicola Malossi1, Stefano Scotto2, Donatella Ciampini1,2,3, Ennio Arimondo1,2,3, and Oliver Morsch1 — 1INO-CNR, Via G. Moruzzi 1, 56124 Pisa, Italy — 2Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy — 3CNISM UdR Pisa, Dipartimento di Fisica E. Fermi, Università di Pisa, Largo Pontecorvo 3, 56127 Pisa, Italy
One of the most striking features of the strong interactions between Rydberg atoms is the dipole blockade effect, whereby only a single excitation to the Rydberg state within the volume of the blockade sphere is allowed [1-4].
Here we present a method that spatially visualizes this phenomenon in an inhomogeneous gas of ultra-cold rubidium atoms. We scan the position of one of the excitation lasers across the cold cloud and determine the number of Rydberg excitations detected as a function of position. Comparing this distribution to the one obtained for the number of ions created by a two-photon ionization process via the intermediate 5P level, we demonstrate that the blockade effect modifies the width of the Rydberg excitation profile. Furthermore, we study the dynamics of the Rydberg excitation and find that the timescale for the excitation depends on the atomic density at the beam position[2, 3].
[1] Lukin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 87, 037901 (2001)
[2] Urban et al., Nature Phys.5, 110 (2009)
[3] Gaëtan et al., Nature Phys.5, 115 (2009)
[4] Comparat et al., J. Opt. Soc. Am. B 27, A208 (2010)