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arXiv · 1901.05391

Coulomb anti-blockade in a Rydberg dressed gas

A. D. Bounds·N. C. Jackson·R. K. Hanley·E. M. Bridge·P. Huillery·M. P. A. Jones
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Abstract

We perform a comprehensive investigation of the coupling between a Rydberg-dressed atomic gas and an ultra-cold plasma. Using simultaneous time-resolved measurements of both neutral atoms and ions, we show that plasma formation occurs via a Coulomb anti-blockade mechanism, in which background ions DC Stark shift nearby atoms into resonance at specific distances. The result is a highly correlated growth of the Rydberg population that shares some similarities with that previously observed for van der Waals interactions. We show that a rate equation model that couples the laser-driven Rydberg gas to the ultra-cold plasma via a Coulomb anti-blockade mechanism accurately reproduces both the plasma formation and its subsequent decay. Using long-lived high angular momentum states as a probe, we also find evidence of a crossover from Coulomb anti-blockade to Coulomb blockade at high density. As well as shedding light on loss mechanisms in Rydberg-dressed gases, our results open new ways to create low-entropy states in ultra-cold plasmas.

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A. D. Bounds, N. C. Jackson, R. K. Hanley, E. M. Bridge, P. Huillery, M. P. A. Jones. 2019-01-16. Coulomb anti-blockade in a Rydberg dressed gas. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2Fab1c0e

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