Study of collisions between ultracold Rydberg atoms in atomic samples trapped in an optical dipole trap

Author(s)

Jorge Douglas Massayuki Kondo

• Document type: Doctoral Thesis
• Press: São Carlos.
• Institution: Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC/BT)
• Defense date: 2014-12-18

Examining board members

Luis Gustavo Marcassa; Marcelo Martinelli; Cleber Renato Mendonça; Marcio Heraclyto Gonçalves de Miranda; Diogo de Oliveira Soares Pinto

• Advisor: Luis Gustavo Marcassa

Abstract

In this paper, we study collisions between ultracold Rydberg atoms in a high density atomic sample trapped in an optical dipole trap (ODT), type QUEST (Quasi Electrostatic Trap). Our goals included testing the manifestation of many-body phenomena and to study anisotropy effects in collisional processes involving two Rydberg atoms. In order to do this, we have chosen the collision process described by 5/2+5/2(+2)3/2+(2)7/2 in the range of 37 ≤ ≤47. The process was studied in the presence and absence of a dc static electric field, also known as Förster resonances. The results show that even at high atomic density, two-body interaction dominates de process, despite the clear manifestation of Rydberg blockade. After several improvements in our experimental setup, we have studied also a Förster resonance peak 375/2+375/2393/2+357/2 as a function of the magnitude of the dc static electric field as well as the angle between this field and the longitudinal axis of the ODT. We discuss the results and future challenges of the experiment. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 10/10269-9 - Interactions between Rydberg atoms in unidimensional and bidimensional systems
• Grantee: Jorge Douglas Massayuki Kondo
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate