Related papers: Time delay of mean field interaction in thermal Ry…
The physics of highly excited Rydberg atoms is governed by blockade or exclusion interactions that hinder the excitation of atoms in the proximity of a previously excited one. This leads to cooperative effects and a relaxation dynamics…
We demonstrate a non-equilibrium phase transition in a dilute thermal atomic gas. The phase transition, between states of low and high Rydberg occupancy, is induced by resonant dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg atoms. The gas can…
The excitation spread caused by Rydberg facilitation in a gas of laser driven atoms is an interesting model system for studying epidemic dynamics. We derive a mean-field approach to describe this facilitation process in the limits of high…
We investigate the phenomenon of bistability in a thermal gas of cesium atoms excited to Rydberg states. We present both measurements and a numerical model of the phenomena based on collisions. By directly measuring the plasma frequency, we…
The results of a theoretical investigation of prompt many-body ionization are reported. Our calculations address an experiment that reported ionization in Rydberg gases for densities two orders of magnitude less than expected from…
We experimentally studied the Rydberg level shift caused by the electric field, which is generated by Rydberg atom collision induced ionization in a cesium atomic ensemble. The density of charged particles caused by collisions between…
Understanding quantum many-body systems with long-range or infinite-range interactions is of relevance across a broad set of physical disciplines, including quantum optics, nuclear magnetic resonance and nuclear physics. From a theoretical…
When ultracold plasma is generated using photonization of laser cooled atoms, some atoms reach only upto Rydberg states. These in turn interact with the free electrons of the plasma and get ionized further. We study the interaction of…
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…
Recent developments in the study of ultracold Rydberg gases demand an advanced level of experimental sophistication, in which high atomic and optical densities must be combined with excellent control of external fields and sensitive Rydberg…
When Rydberg states are excited in a dense atomic gas the mean number of excited atoms reaches a stationary value after an initial transient period. We shed light on the origin of this steady state that emerges from a purely coherent…
The interplay between strong long-range interactions and the coherent driving contribute to the formation of complex patterns, symmetry, and novel phases of matter in many-body systems. However, long-range interactions may induce an…
The identification of tipping points is essential for prediction of collapses or other sudden changes in complex systems. Applications include studies of ecology, thermodynamics, climatology, and epidemiology. However, detecting early signs…
We review here the studies performed about interactions in an assembly of cold Rydberg atoms. We focus more specially the review on the dipole-dipole interactions and on the effect of the dipole blockade in the laser Rydberg excitation,…
The combination of high optical nonlinearity in the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect and strong electric dipole-dipole interaction (DDI) among the Rydberg-state atoms can lead to important applications in quantum…
We use non-equilibrium dynamical mean-field theory to demonstrate the existence of a critical interaction in the real-time dynamics of the Hubbard model after an interaction quench. The critical point is characterized by fast thermalization…
When atoms are excited to high-lying Rydberg states they interact strongly with dipolar forces. The resulting state-dependent level shifts allow to study many-body systems displaying intriguing nonequilibrium phenomena, such as constrained…
We establish a link between metastability and a discrete time-crystalline phase in a periodically driven open quantum system. The mechanism we highlight requires neither the system to display any microscopic symmetry nor the presence of…
We study the field-ionization threshold behavior when a Rydberg atom is ionized by a short single-cycle pulse field. Both hydrogen and sodium atoms are considered. The required threshold field amplitude is found to scale \emph{inversely}…
We study the long-range interaction of a single ion with a highly excited ultracold Rydberg atom and report on the direct observation of ion-induced Rydberg excitation blockade mediated over tens of micrometer distances. Our hybrid ion-atom…