Abstract
Dipole-dipole interactions between excited Rb atoms at long range (∼300a0-2150a0) have been observed with molecular wave packets and a coherent nonlinear optical process. Fourier analysis of the parametric four-wave mixing (PFWM) signal wave intensity produced in femtosecond pump-probe experiments demonstrates the appearance of sidebands associated with the Rb 7s-5d5/2 quantum beating frequency of ∼18.3THz. Calculations show that the observed sideband splittings and Fourier domain profiles result from multiple atom, dipole-dipole interactions, and ensembles comprising five or fewer Rb (7s, 6p) atoms account for virtually all of the data.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Article number | 143201 |
Journal | Physical review letters |
Volume | 99 |
Issue number | 14 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 5 2007 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Physics and Astronomy