Related papers: Slow decay processes of electrostatically trapped …
We produce SO_2 molecules with a centre of mass velocity near zero using a Stark decelerator. Since the initial kinetic energy of the supersonic SO_2 molecular beam is high, and the removed kinetic energy per stage is small, 326…
We probe resonant dipolar interactions between ultracold $^{40}$K$^{87}$Rb molecules and Rydberg $^{87}$Rb atoms in an optically trapped ensemble. Through state-selective ionization detection of the KRb molecules, we observe resonant energy…
In cold atomic systems, fast and high-resolution microscopy of individual atoms is crucial, since it can provide direct information on the dynamics and correlations of the system. Here, we demonstrate nanosecond-scale two-dimensional…
Photoinduced quantum dynamics in molecules have hierarchical temporal structures with different energy scales that are associated with electron and nuclear motions. Femtosecond-to-attosecond transient absorption spectroscopy (TAS) using…
Rates of depopulation by blackbody radiation (BBR) and effective lifetimes of alkali-metal \textit{nS}, \textit{n}P and \textit{nD} Rydberg states have been calculated in a wide range of principal quantum numbers $n \le 80$ at the ambient…
When atoms are exposed to intense laser or microwave pulses ~10% of the atoms are found in Rydberg states subsequent to the pulse, even if it is far more intense than required for static field ionization. The optical spectra of the…
We have experimentally demonstrated both heating and cooling of electrons in an ultracold neutral plasma (UNP) by embedding Rydberg atoms into the plasma soon after its creation. We have determined the relationship between the initial…
We have realized a high-resolution time-of-flight mass spectrometer combined with a magneto-optical trap. The spectrometer enables excellent optical access to the trapped atomic cloud using specifically devised acceleration and deflection…
Bose-Einstein condensates of sodium atoms have been confined in an optical dipole trap using a single focused infrared laser beam. This eliminates the restrictions of magnetic traps for further studies of atom lasers and Bose-Einstein…
Since their first experimental observation, ultralong-range Rydberg molecules consisting of a highly excited Rydberg atom and a ground state atom have attracted the interest in the field of ultracold chemistry. Especially the intriguing…
We demonstrate Rabi flopping at MHz rates between ground hyperfine states of neutral $^{87}$Rb atoms that are trapped in two micron sized optical traps. Using tightly focused laser beams we demonstrate high fidelity, site specific Rabi…
Atoms in highly excited (Rydberg) states have a number of unique properties which make them attractive for applications in quantum information. These are large dipole moments, lifetimes and polarizabilities, as well as strong long-range…
Stark deceleration allows for precise control over the velocity of a pulsed molecular beam and, by the nature of its limited phase-space acceptance, reduces the energy width of the decelerated packet. We describe an alternate method of…
Heavy polar molecules can be used to measure the electric dipole moment of the electron, which is a sensitive probe of physics beyond the Standard Model. The value is determined by measuring the precession of the molecule's spin in a plane…
We study the guiding of $^{87}$Rb 59D$_{5/2}$ Rydberg atoms in a linear, high-gradient, two-wire magnetic guide. Time delayed microwave ionization and ion detection are used to probe the Rydberg atom motion. We observe guiding of Rydberg…
We investigate nuclear-resonant electron scattering as occurring in the two-step process of nuclear excitation by electron capture (NEEC) followed by internal conversion. The nuclear excitation and decay are treated by a phenomenological…
Diatomic molecules are promising systems for quantum science applications due to their complex energy structures and strong dipole-dipole interactions. Achieving ultracold temperatures is essential for these applications, but the complexity…
We report on the observation of interactions between ultracold Rydberg atoms and ions in a Paul trap. The rate of observed inelastic collisions, which manifest themselves as charge transfer between the Rydberg atoms and ions, exceeds that…
Exchange interaction strongly influences the long-range behaviour of localised electron orbitals. It violates the oscillation theorem (creates extra nodes) and produces a power-law decay instead of the usual exponential decrease at large…
We experimentally characterize the optical nonlinear response of a cold atomic medium placed inside an optical cavity, and excited to Rydberg states. The excitation to S and D Rydberg levels is carried out via a two-photon transition in an…