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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 37: Poster – Ultra-cold Plasmas and Rydberg Systems (joint session A/Q)

A 37.5: Poster

Thursday, March 5, 2026, 17:00–19:00, Philo 1. OG

Study of Rydberg states in ultracold ytterbium — •Nele Koch, Alexander Miethke, Jellina Nuha, and Axel Görlitz — Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Institut für Experimentalphysik, Düsseldorf, Germany

In recent years Rydberg atoms with their special features, like dipole-dipole interaction or van-der-Waals blockade, have become more and more important for quantum optics. Particularly ultracold Rydberg atoms are of great interest for the investigation of long range interaction.

A special feature of ytterbium is that due to its two valence electrons atoms in Rydberg states can be easily manipulated and imaged using optical fields. A first step towards studies of ultracold ytterbium is to gain precise knowledge on the Rydberg states.

Here we present the study of the Rydberg states of ultracold ytterbium. Using a Micro-Channel-Plate to detect the Rydberg atoms it is possible to measure lifetimes and hyperfine structures of several states (n=35-90). In addition we could measure the energy and polarizability of s, p and d states in the region of high principal quantum numbers n (n=70-90). Using a second stage trap we are able to cool the atoms down to several micro K to reduce their distances and investigate interactions.

Keywords: Rydberg; Ytterbium; ultracold; interaction; Hyperfine structure