Tracking Rydberg atoms with Bose-Einstein Condensates

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel method to track Rydberg impurity atoms in a Bose-Einstein condensate by observing their elastic interactions, enabling detailed study of Rydberg dynamics and collisions.

Contribution

It presents a new technique for tracking Rydberg atoms in condensates through their elastic interactions, converting atomic motion into observable condensate features.

Findings

Resolvable tracks can be generated within Rydberg lifetime

Condensate heating remains controlled during tracking

Technique useful for studying Rydberg collisions and interactions

Abstract

We propose to track position and velocity of mobile Rydberg excited impurity atoms through the elastic interactions of the Rydberg electron with a host condensate. Tracks first occur in the condensate phase, but are then naturally converted to features in the condensate density or momentum distribution. The condensate thus acts analogous to the cloud or bubble chambers in the early days of elementary particle physics. The technique will be useful for exploring Rydberg-Rydberg scattering, rare inelastic processes involving the Rydberg impurities, coherence in Rydberg motion and forces exerted by the condensate on the impurities. Our simulations show that resolvable tracks can be generated within the immersed Rydberg lifetime and condensate heating is under control. Finally, we demonstrate the utility of this Rydberg tracking technique to study ionizing Rydberg collisions or angular momentum changing interactions with the condensate.