2007/03/15 by Thibault Vogt, Matthieu Viteau, Amodsen Chotia +5 · 2 citations
Chemistry · Physics and Astronomy · #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Spectroscopy and Laser Applications #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.99.073002
4 pages
arxiv created 2007/03/15 · openalex publication_date 2007/08/16 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
High resolution laser Stark excitation of np (60<n<85) Rydberg states of ultracold cesium atoms shows an efficient blockade of the excitation attributed to long-range dipole-dipole interaction. The dipole blockade effect is observed as a quenching of the Rydberg excitation depending on the value of the dipole moment induced by the external electric field. Effects of ions which could match the dipole blockade effect are discussed in detail but are ruled out for our experimental conditions. Analytic and Monte Carlo simulations of the excitation of an ensemble of interacting Rydberg atoms agree with the experiments and indicate a major role of the nearest neighboring Rydberg atom.