Heidelberg 2015 – scientific programme
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A: Fachverband Atomphysik
A 12: Ultra-cold plasmas and Rydberg systems I (with Q)
A 12.1: Talk
Tuesday, March 24, 2015, 11:00–11:15, C/kHS
Quantum simulation of energy transport with embedded Rydberg aggregates — •David W. Schönleber1, Alexander Eisfeld1, Michael Genkin1, Shannon Whitlock2, and Sebastian Wüster1 — 1Max-Planck-Institut für Physik komplexer Systeme, 01187 Dresden — 2Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg
We show that an array of ultracold Rydberg atoms embedded in a laser driven background gas can serve as an artificial molecular aggregate for simulating exciton dynamics and energy transport with a controlled environment. Spatial disorder and decoherence introduced by the interaction with the background gas atoms can be controlled by the laser parameters. This allows for an almost ideal realization of a Haken-Reineker-Strobl type model for energy transport, providing a possible platform for quantum simulation of photosynthetic light harvesting complexes. Physics can be monitored using the same mechanism that provides control over the environment. The degree of decoherence is traced back to information gained on the excitation location through the monitoring, turning the setup into an experimentally accessible model system for studying the effects of quantum measurements on the dynamics of a many-body quantum system.