Dynamics of resonant energy transfer in one-dimensional chain of Rydberg atoms

We study resonant energy transfer in a one-dimensional chain of two to five atoms by analyzing time-dependent probabilities as function of their interatomic distances. The dynamics of the system are first investigated by including the nearest-neighbour interactions and then accounting for all next-neighbour interactions. We find that inclusion of nearest-neighbour interactions in the Hamiltonian for three atoms chain exhibits periodicity during the energy transfer dynamics; however, this behavior displays aperiodicity with the all-neighbour interactions. It shows for the equidistant chains of four and five atoms the peaks are always irregular but regular peaks are retrieved when the inner atoms are placed closer than the atoms at both the ends. In this arrangement, the energy transfer swings between the atoms at both ends with very low probability of finding an atom at the center. This phenomenon resembles with quantum notion of Newton’s cradle. We also find out the maximum distance up to which energy could be transferred within the typical lifetimes of the Rydberg states.