Motion of Rydberg atoms induced by resonant dipole-dipole interactions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that resonant dipole-dipole interactions can induce nuclear motion in Rydberg atoms, with dynamics influenced by initial arrangements and disorder, using a mixed quantum/classical simulation approach.

Contribution

It introduces a method to simulate Rydberg atom motion driven by dipole interactions, highlighting the effects of initial configurations and disorder on atomic dynamics.

Findings

Irregular atomic arrangements accelerate nuclear motion.

Dipole-dipole interactions induce atom trajectories and energies.

Initial electronic states influence atomic motion patterns.

Abstract

We show that nuclear motion of Rydberg atoms can be induced by resonant dipole-dipole interactions that trigger the energy transfer between two energetically close Rydberg states. How and if the atoms move depends on their initial arrangement as well as on the initial electronic excitation. Using a mixed quantum/classical propagation scheme we obtain the trajectories and kinetic energies of atoms, initially arranged in a regular chain and prepared in excitonic eigenstates. The influence of off-diagonal disorder on the motion of the atoms is examined and it is shown that irregularity in the arrangement of the atoms can lead to an acceleration of the nuclear dynamics.