Dynamically probing ultracold lattice gases via Rydberg molecules
Abstract
We show that the excitation of long-range Rydberg molecules in a three-dimensional optical lattice can be used as a position- and time-sensitive probe for doubly occupied sites in the system. To this end, we detect the ions which are continuously generated by the decay of the formed Rydberg molecules. While a superfluid gas shows molecule formation for all parameters, a Mott insulator with n = 1 filling reveals a strong suppression of the number of formed molecules. In the limit of weak probing, the technique can be used to probe the superfluid to Mott-insulator transition in real-time. Our method can be extended to higher fillings and has various applications for the real-time diagnosis and manipulation of ultracold lattice gases.
- Publication:
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New Journal of Physics
- Pub Date:
- October 2015
- DOI:
- 10.1088/1367-2630/17/10/103024
- arXiv:
- arXiv:1506.05955
- Bibcode:
- 2015NJPh...17j3024M
- Keywords:
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- Physics - Atomic Physics;
- Condensed Matter - Quantum Gases;
- Quantum Physics
- E-Print:
- 6 pages, 5 figures