Mainz 2026 – wissenschaftliches Programm

Bereiche | Tage | Auswahl | Suche | Aktualisierungen | Downloads | Hilfe

A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 17: Ultra-cold Atoms, Ions and BEC II (joint session A/Q)

A 17.1: Hauptvortrag

Mittwoch, 4. März 2026, 14:30–15:00, N 1

Three-body dynamics between an ion and two Rydberg states — •Jennifer Krauter¹, Maximilian Futterknecht¹, Óscar Andrey Herrera Sancho¹, Florian Anschütz¹, Utzuri Högl Vidal¹, Moritz Berngruber², Florian Meinert¹, Robert Löw¹, and Tilman Pfau¹ — ¹5th Institute of Physics, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 57, 70569 Stuttgart — ²Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Hans-Kopfermann-Str. 1, 85748 Garching

As a versatile tool, our high-resolution ion microscope has sucessfully been used to study the dynamics between bound and unbound Rydberg atom-ion pair states in the ultracold regime. With our experimental apparatus we achieve high temporal and spatial resolution of at least 200 nm, which is well-suited for the real space study of these pair dynamics. Here, we want to show that the binding mechanism between ions and Rydberg atoms is not limited to diatomic molecules but can be extended to polyatomic systems, for which we expect interactions that are even more intricate. We are particularly interested in bound states that comprise two Rydberg atoms and one ion. For this scenario, we predict a rich interaction potential that combines the interaction between induced dipoles, ion-Rydberg atom interactions, and the Rydberg blockade effect, leading to potential wells that support bound molecular states between the three particles. Experimentally, we are working toward realizing and studying these systems both spectroscopically as well as in real space, hoping to gain insight into the underlying fewbody physics.

Keywords: Rydberg atoms; Ion microscope; Ion Rydberg Dynamics