Atom-Pair Kinetics with Strong Electric-Dipole Interactions

作者:Thaicharoen N*; Goncalves L F; Raithel G
来源:Physical Review Letters, 2016, 116(21): 213002.
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.213002

摘要

Rydberg-atom ensembles are switched from a weakly to a strongly interacting regime via adiabatic transformation of the atoms from an approximately nonpolar into a highly dipolar quantum state. The resultant electric dipole-dipole forces are probed using a device akin to a field ion microscope. Ion imaging and pair-correlation analysis reveal the kinetics of the interacting atoms. Dumbbell-shaped pair-correlation images demonstrate the anisotropy of the binary dipolar force. The dipolar C-3 coefficient, derived from the time dependence of the images, agrees with the value calculated from the permanent electric-dipole moment of the atoms. The results indicate many-body dynamics akin to disorder-induced heating in strongly coupled particle systems.

  • 出版日期2016-5-27