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C. Ates, I. Liu, T. Pohl, T. Pattard, J.M. Rost
The exaggerated properties of atoms in highly excited Rydberg states lead to a strong interaction of such an atom with its environment, even at the distances typical for a dilute atomic gas. In this talk, I will present two examples of such interaction-induced effects. In the first part of the talk, I will discuss the influence of Rydberg-Rydberg interactions on the Rydberg excitation dynamics of a gas. I will show that this interaction can not only lead to a suppression of excitation, which has been demonstrated in a number of recent experiments, but - under suitable circumstances - also to an enhancement of excitation, i.e. an `antiblockade'. Such an enhancement may become visible in ordered systems, which can be created using optical lattices. The second part of the talk will discuss the formation of exotic molecular states as a consequence of the interaction between a Rydberg atom and several groundstate atoms. |
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