Linear response of a periodically driven thermal dipolar gas

We study the nonequilibrium dynamics of an ultracold, non-degenerate dipolar gas of ^{164}y atoms in a cylindrically symmetric harmonic trap. To do so, we investigate the normal modes and linear response of the gas when driven by means of periodic modulations to the trap axial-frequency. We find that the resonant response of the gas depends strongly on the dipole alignment axis, owing to anisotropies in the differential cross section of the...