title: Dipole blockade at Förster resonances in high resolution laser excitation of Rydberg states of cesium atoms.
abstract: High resolution laser excitation of np Rydberg states of cesium atoms shows a dipole blockade at Förster resonances corresponding to the resonant dipole-dipole energy transfer of the np+np --> ns+(n+1)s reaction. The dipole-dipole interaction can be tuned on and off by the Stark effect, and such a process, observed for relatively low n(25-41), is promising for quantum gate devices. Both Penning ionization and saturation in the laser excitation can limit the range of observation of the dipole blockade.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Bâtiment 505, Campus d'Orsay, 91405 Orsay, France. thibault.vogt@lac.u-psud.fr
authors.forename: Thibault
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viteau
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Amodsen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chotia
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Comparat
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pillet