Interactions in Cold Rydberg Gases

University Of Oklahoma Norman Campus, Norman OK

Investigators

Abstract

The interactions between cold Rydberg atoms (T<1mK) are being studied experimentally using a unique collision imaging spectrometer and nonlinear optical techniques. The study of coherent interactions between Rydberg atoms is important for quantum computing, many-body physics, nonlinear optics at the few photon limit, and other phenomena that rely on strong light-light interactions. The results of these experiments will be compared to theory done by our research group. The research program consists of 3 principal experiments. First, the coherent excitation of macrodimers, molecules with internuclear separations greater than 1 micron, is being investigated. Rydberg atom macrodimers have unique properties that can be used to probe correlations in quantum gases over a broad range of macroscopic distances and energy scales. Second, anisotropic dipole-dipole interactions between Rydberg atoms in a polarizing electric field will be studied experimentally and theoretically. This work will support the other experiments in the proposal as well as other work in cold Rydberg gases including that on quantum computation, ultracold plasmas, collisions, Rydberg matter, and many-body phenomena. Finally, coherent interactions and excitation of cold Rydberg atoms are being investigated using nonlinear optical techniques. Energy degenerate 4-wave mixing in the time and frequency domains can probe the coherence of Rydberg atom interactions in a cold Rydberg gas. The project supports 2 graduate students. The research program also enables undergraduate students who participate through the senior capstone and the NSF-REU programs at OU. Our research group has been successful with undergraduate research participation as demonstrated by the completion of 10 senior capstone projects and 11 NSF-REU projects over the last 7 years. To help recruit new students to the project and teach the students working on the project, the PI plans to include topics relevant to this research in the summer course in advanced research topics that he has taught the last 5 summers on a voluntary basis to faculty, graduate students and summer undergraduate research students. The work is also be used to expand the SEES, Science Zone (K-12), and Research Experience for Teachers (RET) outreach programs associated with our departments Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC).