Echo Experiments in a Strongly Interacting Rydberg Gas

Journal Article · Fri Jan 11 04:00:00 EST 2008 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVLETT.100.013002· OSTI ID:21020914

Raitzsch, Ulrich; Bendkowsky, Vera; Heidemann, Rolf; Butscher, Bjoern; Loew, Robert; Pfau, Tilman ^[1]

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1. 5. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart (Germany)

When ground state atoms are excited to a Rydberg state, van der Waals interactions among them can lead to a strong suppression of the excitation. Despite the strong interactions the evolution can still be reversed by a simple phase shift in the excitation laser field. We experimentally prove the coherence of the excitation in the strong blockade regime by applying an 'optical rotary echo' technique to a sample of magnetically trapped ultracold atoms, analogous to a method known from nuclear magnetic resonance. We additionally measured the dephasing time due to the interaction between the Rydberg atoms.

• OSTI ID: 21020914
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 100; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
EXCITATION
GROUND STATES
LASER RADIATION
NUCLEAR MAGNETIC RESONANCE
PHASE SHIFT
RYDBERG STATES
STRONG INTERACTIONS
VAN DER WAALS FORCES