Rydberg-Rydberg interactions and ultracold Rydberg-Rydberg molecules

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Ultracold atomic gases offer unprecedented opportunities to explore the quantum physics of many-body systems and are versatile model systems for investigating quantum matter and associated exotic phenomena. Much of the success in these areas can be attributed to the outstanding level of control possible over ultracold atoms, and to the development of powerful new methods which can provide direct access to the macroscopic and microscopic properties of these novel systems.We propose to make use of the exceptional properties of highly-excited Rydberg atoms in dense quantum gases, in particular their tunable long-range interactions, to enter the realm of strongly-correlated many-body physics with this intriguing atomic model system. We introduce a new optical method to directly image individual Rydberg atoms within a quantum gas, providing even greater experimental access to new physical regimes. This method based on electromagnetically induced transparency, in combination with the tunable strong interactions between Rydberg atoms will provide us with enhanced sensitivity, high-resolution single-shot images of individual Rydberg atoms within a trapped gas of ground state atoms or a Bose-Einstein condensate. This new capability to directly image the Rydberg atoms will provide immediate experimental access to recently predicted crystalline states of Rydberg gases in the dipole blockade regime, to dipolar quantum gases through Rydberg-dressing, and to the study of many-particle entanglement with mesoscopic atomic ensembles. The anticipated outcomes will shed light on the fundamental issues concerning quantum dynamics and entanglement in many-body quantum systems and will contribute to a better understanding of complex phenomena in strongly-correlated regimes.