Formation of ultralong-range fermionic Rydberg molecules in 87Sr: role of quantum statistics

Measurements of ultralong-range Rydberg molecule formation in cold gases of fermionic Sr-87 atoms are presented. Measurements undertaken using polarised and unpolarised cold atom samples demonstrate that studies of Rydberg molecule formation can provide a window into the important role played by quantum statistics in determining the pair-correlation function, , and, more generally, can furnish a sensitive probe of spatial correlations in quantum gases that is suitable for use in a number of different applications.