dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaMechanical effect of van der Waals interactions observed in real time in an ultracold Rydberg gas
| Authors | T. Amthor, M. Reetz-Lamour, S. Westermann, J. Denskat, M. Weidemüller |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | physics/0607041 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0607041 |
| DOI | 10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.023004 |
Abstract
We present time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of Rydberg-Rydberg interactions in an ultracold gas, revealing the pair dynamics induced by long-range van der Waals interactions between the atoms. By detuning the excitation laser, a specific pair distribution is prepared. Penning ionization on a microsecond timescale serves as a probe for the pair dynamics under the influence of the attractive long-range forces. Comparison with a Monte Carlo model not only explains all spectroscopic features but also gives quantitative information about the interaction potentials. The results imply that the interaction-induced ionization rate can be influenced by the excitation laser. Surprisingly, interaction-induced ionization is also observed for Rydberg states with purely repulsive interactions.
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"date_created": "2026-03-02T18:01:11.082000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-03-02T18:01:11.082000Z",
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"abstract": "We present time-resolved spectroscopic measurements of Rydberg-Rydberg\ninteractions in an ultracold gas, revealing the pair dynamics induced by\nlong-range van der Waals interactions between the atoms. By detuning the\nexcitation laser, a specific pair distribution is prepared. Penning ionization\non a microsecond timescale serves as a probe for the pair dynamics under the\ninfluence of the attractive long-range forces. Comparison with a Monte Carlo\nmodel not only explains all spectroscopic features but also gives quantitative\ninformation about the interaction potentials. The results imply that the\ninteraction-induced ionization rate can be influenced by the excitation laser.\nSurprisingly, interaction-induced ionization is also observed for Rydberg\nstates with purely repulsive interactions.",
"arxiv_id": "physics/0607041",
"authors": [
"T. Amthor",
"M. Reetz-Lamour",
"S. Westermann",
"J. Denskat",
"M. Weidem\u00fcller"
],
"categories": [
"physics.atom-ph"
],
"doi": "10.1103/PhysRevLett.98.023004",
"title": "Mechanical effect of van der Waals interactions observed in real time in an ultracold Rydberg gas",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/physics/0607041"
},
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