Transient Density-Induced Dipolar Interactions in a Thin Vapor Cell

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a method to rapidly induce high atomic densities in a vapor cell using light-induced desorption, enabling the study of transient dipolar interactions with potential applications in quantum devices.

Contribution

It introduces a technique for fast, controlled modulation of atomic density and dipolar interactions in a vapor cell via pulsed laser desorption.

Findings

High atomic densities achieved ($n\gg k^3$)

Transient broadening and line shifts observed

Dipole-dipole interactions confirmed as cause

Abstract

We exploit the effect of light-induced atomic desorption to produce high atomic densities ($n\gg k^3$) in a rubidium vapor cell. An intense off-resonant laser is pulsed for roughly one nanosecond on a micrometer-sized sapphire-coated cell, which results in the desorption of atomic clouds from both internal surfaces. We probe the transient atomic density evolution by time-resolved absorption spectroscopy.With a temporal resolution of $\approx1\,\mathrm{ns}$, we measure the broadening and line shift of the atomic resonances. Both broadening and line shift are attributed to dipole-dipole interactions. This fast switching of the atomic density and dipolar interactions could be the basis for future quantum devices based on the excitation blockade.