arXiv subjects

J. P. Shaffer

Publications and source records attributed to J. P. Shaffer.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2019

Rydberg atom quantum technologies

This topical review addresses how Rydberg atoms can serve as building blocks for emerging quantum technologies. Whereas the fabrication of large numbers of artificial quantum systems with the uniformity required for the most attractive applications is difficult if not impossible, atoms provide stable quantum systems which, for the same species and isotope, are all identical. Whilst atomic ground-states provide scalable quantum objects, their applications are limited by the range over which their properties can be varied. In contrast, Rydberg atoms offer strong and controllable atomic interactions that can be tuned by selecting states with different principal quantum number or orbital angular momentum. In addition Rydberg atoms are comparatively long-lived, and the large number of available energy levels and their separations allow coupling to electromagnetic fields spanning over 6 orders of magnitude in frequency. These features make Rydberg atoms highly desirable for developing new quantum technologies. After giving a brief introduction to how the properties of Rydberg atoms can be tuned, we give several examples of current areas where the unique advantages of Rydberg atom systems are being exploited to enable new applications in quantum computing, electromagnetic field sensing, and quantum optics.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2018

Ultracold Rydberg Molecules

Ultracold Rydberg molecules have been extensively studied both theoretically and ex-perimentally. Here the authors review the recent realizations of various ultralong-range Rydberg molecules and macrodimers, and explore their potential for current and future applications in spectroscopy, few- and many-body interactions and quantum information processing.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Electric field cancellation on quartz: a Rb adsorbate induced negative electron affinity surface

We investigate the (0001) surface of single crystal quartz with a submonolayer of Rb adsorbates. Using Rydberg atom electromagnetically induced transparency, we investigate the electric fields resulting from Rb adsorbed on the quartz surface, and measure the activation energy of the Rb adsorbates. We show that the adsorbed Rb induces a negative electron affinity (NEA) on the quartz surface. The NEA surface allows low energy electrons to bind to the surface and cancel the electric field from the Rb adsorbates. Our results are important for integrating Rydberg atoms into hybrid quantum systems and the fundamental study of atom-surface interactions, as well as applications for electrons bound to a 2D surface.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2015

Strongly correlated growth of Rydberg aggregates in a vapor cell

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.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2014

Sub-wavelength microwave electric field imaging using Rydberg atoms inside atomic vapor cells

We have recently shown that Alkali atoms contained in a vapor cell can serve as a highly accurate standard for microwave electric field strength as well as polarization using the principles of Rydberg atom electromagnetically induced transparency. Here, we show, for the first time, that Rydberg atom electromagnetically induced transparency can be used to image microwave electric fields with unprecedented precision. The spatial resolution of the method is far into the sub-wavelength regime. The electric field resolutions are similar to those we have demonstrated in our prior experiments. Our experimental results agree with finite element calculations of test electric field patterns.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Exploiting Rydberg Atom Surface Phonon Polariton Coupling for Single Photon Subtraction

We investigate a hybrid quantum system that consists of a superatom coupled to a surface phonon-polariton. We apply this hybrid quantum system to subtract individual photons from a beam of light. Rydberg atom blockade is used to attain absorption of a single photon by an atomic microtrap. Surface phonon-polariton coupling to the superatom then triggers the transfer of the excitation to a storage state, a single Rydberg atom. The approach utilizes the interaction between a superatom and a Markovian bath that acts as a controlled decoherence mechanism to irreversibly project the superatom state into a single Rydberg atom state that can be read out.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2013

Atom Based Vector Microwave Electrometry Using Rubidium Rydberg Atoms in a Vapor Cell

It is clearly important to pursue atomic standards for quantities like electromagnetic fields, time, length and gravity. We have recently shown, using Rydberg states, that Rb atoms in a vapor cell can serve as a practical, compact standard for microwave electric field strength. Here, we demonstrate, for the first time, that Rb atoms excited in a vapor cell can also be used for vector microwave electrometry by using Rydberg atom electromagnetically induced transparency. We describe the measurements necessary to obtain an arbitrary microwave electric field polarization at a resolution of $0.5^\circ$. The experiments are compared to theory and found to be in excellent agreement.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2012

Observation of blue-shifted ultralong-range Cs$_{2}$ Rydberg molecules

We observe ultralong-range blue-shifted Cs$_{2}$ molecular states near $ns_{1/2}$ Rydberg states in an optical dipole trap, where $31\leq n\leq34$. The accidental near degeneracy of $(n-4)l$ and $ns$ Rydberg states for $l>2$ in Cs, due to the small fractional $ns$ quantum defect, leads to non-adiabatic coupling among these states, producing potential wells above the $ns$ thresholds. Two important consequences of admixing high angular momentum states with $ns$ states are the formation of large permanent dipole moments, $\sim 15-100\,$Debye, and accessibility of these states via two-photon association. The observed states are in excellent agreement with theory. Both projections of the total angular momentum on the internuclear axis are visible in the experiment.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2012

Quantum Assisted Electrometry using Bright Atomic Resonances

We demonstrate a new method for measuring radio frequency (RF) electric fields based on quantum interference in an atom. Using a bright resonance prepared within an electromagnetically induced transparency window we are able to achieve a sensitivity of ~ 30 μV cm^-1 sqrt(Hz)^-1. For this work, we demonstrated detection of RF electric fields as small as ~ 8 μV cm^-1. The sensitivity is currently limited by the spectral bandwidth of the lasers used in the experiment and can be significantly improved in the future. The method can serve as a new quantum based standard for RF electrometry. The reproducibility, accuracy and stability of using a quantum system for measuring RF electric fields promises to advance electrometry to the current levels of magnetometry.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2010

Photoionization Rates of Cs Rydberg Atoms in a 1064 nm Far Off-Resonance Trap

Experimental measurements of photoionization rates of $nD_{5/2}$ Rydberg states of Cs ($50 \leq n \leq 75$) in a 1064 nm far off-resonance dipole trap are presented. The photoionization rates are obtained by measuring the lifetimes of Rydberg atoms produced inside of a 1064 nm far off-resonance trap and comparing the lifetimes to corresponding control experiments in a magneto-optical trap. Experimental results for the control experiments agree with recent theoretical predictions for Rydberg state lifetimes and measured photoionization rates are in agreement with transition rates calculated from a model potential.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2009

Rydberg trimers and excited dimers bound by internal quantum reflection

Quantum reflection is a pure wave phenomena that predicts reflection of a particle at a changing potential for cases where complete transmission occurs classically. For a chemical bond, we find that this effect can lead to non-classical vibrational turning points and bound states at extremely large interatomic distances. Only recently has the existence of such ultralong-range Rydberg molecules been demonstrated experimentally. Here, we identify a broad range of molecular lines, most of which are shown to originate from two different novel sources: a single-photon associated triatomic molecule formed by a Rydberg atom and two ground state atoms and a series of excited dimer states that are bound by a so far unexplored mechanism based on internal quantum reflection at a steep potential drop. The properties of the Rydberg molecules identified in this work qualify them as prototypes for a new type of chemistry at ultracold temperatures.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2009

Coherent Excitation of Rydberg Atoms in Thermal Vapor Microcells

The coherent control of mesoscopic ensembles of atoms and Rydberg atom blockade are the basis for proposed quantum devices such as integrable gates and single photon sources. So far, experimental progress has been limited to complex experimental setups that use ultracold atoms. Here, we show that coherence times of ~100ns are achievable with coherent Rydberg atom spectroscopy in um sized thermal vapor cells. We investigated states with principle quantum numbers between 30 and 50. Our results demonstrate that microcells with a size on the order of the blockade radius, ~2um, at temperatures of 100-300C are robust, promising candidates to investigate low dimensional strongly interacting Rydberg gases, construct quantum gates and build single photon sources.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2008

Novel binding mechanism for ultra-long range molecules

Molecular bonds can be divided into four primary types: ionic, covalent, van der Waals and hydrogen bonds. At ultralow temperatures a novel binding type emerges paving the way for novel molecules and ultracold chemistry [1,2]. The underlying mechanism for this new type of chemical bond is low-energy electron scattering of Rydberg electrons from polarisable ground state atoms [3]. This quantum scattering process can generate an attractive potential that is able to bind the ground state atom to the Rydberg atom at a well localized position within the Rydberg electron wave function. The resulting giant molecules can have an internuclear separation of several thousand Bohr radii, which places them among the largest known molecules to date. Their binding energies are much smaller than the Kepler frequencies of the Rydberg electrons i.e. the atomic Rydberg electron state is essentially unchanged by the bound ground state atom. Ultracold and dense samples of atoms enable the creation of these molecules via Rydberg excitation. In this paper we present spectroscopic evidence for the vibrational ground and first excited state of a Rubidium dimer Rb(5S)-Rb(nS). We apply a Born-Oppenheimer model to explain the measured binding energies for principal quantum numbers n between 34 and 40 and extract the s-wave scattering length for electron-Rb(5S) scattering in the relevant low energy regime Ekin < 100 meV. We also determine the lifetimes and the polarisabilities of these molecules. P-wave bound states [2], Trimer states [4] as well as bound states for large angular momentum of the Rydberg electron - socalled trilobite molecules [1] - are within reach in the near future and will further refine our conceptual understanding of the chemical bond.

quant-ph↗