Modeling many-particle mechanical effects of an interacting Rydberg gas

Abstract

In a recent work [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98, 023004 (2007)] we have investigated the influence of attractive van der Waals interaction on the pair distribution and Penning ionization dynamics of ultracold Rydberg gases. Here we extend this description to atoms initially prepared in Rydberg states exhibiting repulsive interaction. We present calculations based on a Monte Carlo algorithm to simulate the dynamics of many atoms under the influence of both repulsive and attractive longrange interatomic forces. Redistribution to nearby states induced by black body radiation is taken into account, changing the effective interaction potentials. The model agrees with experimental observations, where the ionization rate is found to increase when the excitation laser is blue-detuned from the atomic resonance.

References in corpus (1)

• Ionization of Sodium and Rubidium nS, nP and nD Rydberg atoms by blackbody radiation

Cited by in corpus (4)

• Evolution from a molecular Rydberg gas to an ultracold plasma in a seeded supersonic expansion of NO
• Motion of Rydberg atoms induced by resonant dipole-dipole interactions
• Kinetic Monte Carlo modelling of dipole blockade in Rydberg excitation experiment
• Rabi oscillations between ground and Rydberg states and van der Waals blockade in a mesoscopic frozen Rydberg gas