Nonlinear absorption in interacting Rydberg EIT spectra on two-photon resonance

ORAL

Abstract

We experimentally investigate the nonlinear transmission spectrum of coherent light fields propagating through a Rydberg-EIT medium with strong atomic interactions. In contrast to previous investigations, which have largely focused on resonant control fields, we explore here the full two-dimensional spectral response of the Rydberg gas. Our measurements confirm previously observed spectral features for a vanishing control-field detuning that are explainable by existing theories, but also reveal significant differences on two-photon resonance. In particular, we find qualitative deficiencies of mean-field models and rate-equation simulations in describing the nonlinear probe-field response under EIT conditions, suggesting spectral signatures of an interaction-induced resonance with laser-dressed entangled pair states. While this effect is captured by the third-order nonlinear susceptibility that accounts for pair-wise interaction effects, the experiments show that many-body processes beyond such two-body effects play a significant role already at surprisingly low probe-field intensities. These results suggest that a more complete understanding of Rydberg-EIT and emerging photon interactions requires to go beyond existing simplified models as well as few-photon theories.

*This work is part of and supported by the DFG Priority Program "GiRyd 1929" (DFG WE2661/12-1), the DNRF through the Center for Complex Quantum Systems (Grant agreement no.: DNRF156), the Carlsberg Foundation through the Semper Ardens Research Project QCooL, the EU through the H2020-FETOPEN Grant No. 800942640378 (ErBeStA), and the Heidelberg Center for Quantum Dynamics, and funded by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation, Project-ID 273811115, SFB 1225). A.T. acknowledges support from the Heidelberg Graduate School for Fundamental Physics (HGSFP). C.H. acknowledges support from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation.

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Publication: https://arxiv.org/abs/2102.11654

Presenters

  • Annika Tebben

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Univ Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

Authors

  • Annika Tebben

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Univ Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Clement Hainaut

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Andre Salzinger

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Physikaliches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Sebastian Geier

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Physikaliches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Titus Franz

    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Thomas Pohl

    • Aarhus University
    • Center for Complex Quantum Systems, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, Denmark

  • Martin Gärttner

    • Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Universität Heidelberg
    • Kirchhoff-Institut für Physik, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Gerhard Zürn

    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Physikaliches Institut, Heidelberg University
    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany

  • Matthias Weidemüller

    • Physikaliches Institute, University of Heidelberg, Germany
    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany
    • Univ Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg
    • Physikalisches Institut, University of Heidelberg; Shanghai Branch, University of Science and Technology of China
    • Physikalisches Institut, Heidelberg University, Germany