Van der Waals pentamers.

We report on the five-body repulsive van der Waals interactions in the strongly dipole-dipole coupled Rydberg states. Compared to three-body and four-body interactions, five-body van der Waals interactions show more energy levels and more potential wells caused by avoided crossings. This research bridges the few-body physics and many-body physics. Other disciplines, such as chemistry, biology, and medical field, will also benefit from better understanding van der Waals interactions.