title: Electric-field induced dipole blockade with Rydberg atoms.
abstract: High resolution laser Stark excitation of np (60<n<85) Rydberg states of ultracold cesium atoms shows an efficient blockade of the excitation attributed to long-range dipole-dipole interaction. The dipole blockade effect is observed as a quenching of the Rydberg excitation depending on the value of the dipole moment induced by the external electric field. Effects of ions which could match the dipole blockade effect are discussed in detail but are ruled out for our experimental conditions. Analytic and Monte Carlo simulations of the excitation of an ensemble of interacting Rydberg atoms agree with the experiments and indicate a major role of the nearest neighboring Rydberg atom.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton, CNRS, Université Paris-Sud, Bâtiment 505, Campus d'Orsay, 91405 Orsay, France.
authors.forename: Thibault
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vogt
authors.forename: Matthieu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Viteau
authors.forename: Amodsen
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chotia
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Comparat
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pillet