title: Observing the dynamics of dipole-mediated energy transport by interaction-enhanced imaging.
abstract: Electronically highly excited (Rydberg) atoms experience quantum state-changing interactions similar to Förster processes found in complex molecules, offering a model system to study the nature of dipole-mediated energy transport under the influence of a controlled environment. We demonstrate a nondestructive imaging method to monitor the migration of electronic excitations with high time and spatial resolution, using electromagnetically induced transparency on a background gas acting as an amplifier. The continuous spatial projection of the electronic quantum state under observation determines the many-body dynamics of the energy transport.
authors.affiliation: Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Günter
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schempp
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Robert-de-Saint-Vincent
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Gavryusev
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Helmrich
authors.forename: C S
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Hofmann
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Whitlock
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Weidemüller