Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Optical tweezers are used to facilitate cold collisions between two Rydberg rubidium atoms (87Rb) by controlling the impact parameter and collision energy. One atom is held stationary while the other is propelled to a constant velocity. After the tweezers are deactivated, both atoms are excited to a Rydberg state using a π-pulse. Following the collision, a second π-pulse is applied. If the stationary atom undergoes minimal momentum transfer and returns to its ground state, it can be recaptured when the tweezer is reactivated. The collision probability as a function of the impact parameter is extracted from the atom loss in the tweezer and used to determine the collisional cross section between Rydberg atoms. Numerical simulations of elastic two-body collisions agree well with the experimental data, providing valuable insights into the parameter regime where quantum effects will become important.
Authors: Hansub Hwang, Sunhwa Hwang, Jaewook Ahn, Shuhei Yoshida, Joachim Burgdörfer
Institutions: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology, TU Wien
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,325
OpenAlex ID: W4410530510