We consider inter-atomic forces due to resonant dipole-dipole interactionswithin a dimer of highly excited Rydberg atoms, embedded in an ultra-cold gas.These forces rely on a coherent superposition of two-atom electronic states,which is destroyed by continuous monitoring of the dimer state through adetection scheme utilizing controllable interactions with the background gasatoms. We show that this intrinsic decoherence of the molecular energy surfacecan gradually deteriorate a repulsive dimer state, causing a mixing ofattractive and repulsive character. For sufficiently strong decoherence, aZeno-like effect causes a complete arrest of interatomic forces. We finallyshow how short decohering pulses can controllably redistribute populationbetween the different molecular energy surfaces.
展开▼
