Abstract
We describe the dynamical preparation of anisotropic crystalline phases obtained by laser-exciting ultracold Alkali atoms to Rydberg p-states where they interact via anisotropic van der Waals interactions. We develop a time-dependent variational mean field ansatz to model large, but finite two-dimensional systems in experimentally accessible parameter regimes, and we present numerical simulations to illustrate the dynamical formation of anisotropic Rydberg crystals.
Highlights
Excited Rydberg states of atoms have unique properties
Our studies are performed within a time-dependent variational mean field ansatz, beyond what can be accessed by exact diagonalization techniques
In the present work we have developed a time dependent mean field theory to model the dynamical preparation of anisotropic Rydberg crystals with atoms in 2D optical lattices
Summary
Excited Rydberg states of atoms have unique properties This includes the size of the Rydberg orbitals scaling as n2, the polarizabilities as n7 and a long lifetime as n3 with n the principal quantum number. These properties are manifest in interactions between Rydberg states, e.g. in van der Waals (vdW) interactions ∝ n11/r6, which can be controlled and tuned via external fields. The study of quantum phases of a laser excited Rydberg gas of alkali atoms, including its dynamical preparation, has so far focused on isotropic vdW interactions, corresponding to Rydberg s-states excited in a two-photon process. Our studies are performed within a time-dependent variational mean field ansatz, beyond what can be accessed by exact diagonalization techniques
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