Rydberg Interaction-Induced Distortion of the Autler-Townes Spectra in Cold Lithium Atoms

In this article, effects of the strong long-range interaction of Rydberg atoms on the Autler-Townes splitting spectrum are investigated. Preliminary results are obtained for various excitation times and Rydberg atom densities. The 2S(1/2) and 2P(1/2) levels of lithium-7 are coupled with strong laser field and probed by another laser via excitation into a 70S Rydberg level. Interactions between Rydberg atoms excited by the probe beam lead to the broadening of the Autler-Townes spectra. At high concentrations of Rydberg atoms, a suppression of the excitation of the Autler-Townes peak at red detuning is observed.