| Dense gases of Rydberg atoms have been proposed for a physical realization of fast quantum phase gates, based on a blockade of multiple excitations, due to the strong dipole interactions between the Rydberg atoms. Yet, recent experiments have revealed interesting many-body effects, even in the regime where excitation is only partly suppressed by dipole-dipole interactions. In this talk, we will present a theoretical approach, to describe very large atomic ensembles, containing up to 105 Rydberg atoms. We study the Rydberg excitation dynamics, and in particular strong interaction effects on the counting statistics of excited Rydberg atoms, measured in a recent experiment. Based on our model, we discuss how this atom number statistics can be employed to gain insights into structural properties of the strongly correlated Rydberg gas. Finally, it will be demonstrated that carefully prepared Rydberg gases can be used to efficiently control the temperature evolution of ultracold plasmas. Ultimately, this not only allows to realize a strongly coupled ultracold plasma state, but also permits to probe interaction-induced spatial structures in cold Rydberg gases. |
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