Hannover 2016 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 14: Ultracold Atoms, Ions and Molecules III (with Q)

A 14.3: Vortrag

Dienstag, 1. März 2016, 11:30–11:45, f342

Imaging of Rydberg atoms and light propagation through a non-linear non-local medium — •Vladislav Gavryusev, Miguel Ferreira-Cao, Adrien Signoles, Gerhard Zuern, Renato Ferracini, Shannon Whitlock, and Matthias Weidemüller — Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Electronically highly excited (Rydberg) atoms constitute a system with long range interactions which allows to study many intriguing phenomena, ranging from quantum non-linear optics to dipole-mediated energy transport. To optically image Rydberg atoms we use the interaction enhanced imaging technique [1] which exploits interaction-induced shifts on highly polarizable excited states of probe atoms, that can be spatially resolved via an electromagnetically induced transparency resonance. The sensitivity is tunable up to few Rydberg excitations by using strong dipole-dipole interactions, induced via a Förster resonance or by direct dipolar coupling between the involved states. By monitoring the Rydberg distribution we observed the migration of Rydberg electronic excitations, driven by quantum-state changing interactions [2], and we are working towards controlling this dynamic. The strong interactions also affect the optical properties of the medium and can allow to explore a highly non-linear and non-local regime, where the response will depend both on local light intensity and atom density, leading to pattern formation and effective photon-photon interactions.

[1] G. Günter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 013002 (2012)

[2] G. Günter et al., Science 342, 954 (2013)