Line shapes and time dynamics of the F\"orster resonances between two Rydberg atoms in a time-varying electric field

Abstract

The observation of the Stark-tuned F\"orster resonances between Rydberg atoms excited by narrowband cw laser radiation requires usage of a Stark-switching technique in order to excite the atoms first in a fixed electric field and then to induce the interactions in a varied electric field, which is scanned across the F\"orster resonance. In our experiments with a few cold Rb Rydberg atoms we have found that the transients at the edges of the electric pulses strongly affect the line shapes of the F\"orster resonances, since the population transfer at the resonances occurs on a time scale of $\sim$100 ns, which is comparable with the duration of the transients. For example, a short-term ringing at a certain frequency causes additional radio-frequency-assisted F\"orster resonances, while non-sharp edges lead to asymmetry. The intentional application of the radio-frequency field induces transitions between collective states, whose line shape depends on the interaction strengths and time. Spatial averaging over the atom positions in a single interaction volume yields a cusped line shape of the F\"orster resonance. We present a detailed experimental and theoretical analysis of the line shape and time dynamics of the Stark-tuned F\"orster resonances ${\rm Rb}(nP_{3/2} )+{\rm Rb}(nP_{3/2} )\to {\rm Rb}(nS_{1/2} )+{\rm Rb}([n+1]S_{1/2} )$ for two Rb Rydberg atoms interacting in a time-varying electric field.