@article { , title = {Strongly correlated growth of Rydberg aggregates in a vapor cell}, abstract = {The observation of strongly interacting many-body phenomena in atomic gases typically requires ultracold samples. Here we show that the strong interaction potentials between Rydberg atoms enable the observation of many-body effects in an atomic vapor, even at room temperature. We excite Rydberg atoms in cesium vapor and observe in real-time an out-of-equilibrium excitation dynamics that is consistent with an aggregation mechanism. The experimental observations show qualitative and quantitative agreement with a microscopic theoretical model. Numerical simulations reveal that the strongly correlated growth of the emerging aggregates is reminiscent of soft-matter type systems.}, doi = {10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.203002}, eissn = {1079-7114}, issn = {0031-9007}, journal = {Physical Review Letters}, publicationstatus = {Published}, publisher = {American Physical Society}, url = {https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/751923}, volume = {114}, year = {2015}, author = {Urvoy, A. and Ripka, F. and Lesanovsky, Igor and Booth, D. and Shaffer, J.P. and Pfau, T. and Löw, R.} }