Anisotropic fluorescence signals retarded dipole-dipole interactions in a thermal atomic cloud

Abstract

We experimentally observe and theoretically explain anisotropic multiple quantum coherence signals in the fluorescence from dilute thermal potassium vapors, at room temperature and particle densities $\sim 10^8\ \rm{cm}^{-3}$. We identify the retarded part of the geometrically fully resolved inter-atomic, resonant dipole-dipole interaction as the crucial ingredient to theoretically reproduce all qualitative features of the experimental spectra.