Related papers: Observation of collective decay dynamics of a sing…
An ensemble of Rubidum atoms can be excited with lasers such that it evolves into an entangled state with just one collective excitation within the Rydberg blockade radius. The decay of this state leads to the emission of a single,…
Strongly Rydberg-blockaded two-level atoms form a Rydberg superatom, which is excited only to a collective symmetrical Dicke state. However, emerging often in the alkali-earth atoms, the spontaneous decay from the Rydberg state to an…
Quantum optics based on highly excited atoms, also known as Rydberg atoms, has cemented itself as a powerful platform for the manipulation of light at the few-photon level. The Rydberg blockade, resulting from the strong interaction between…
We experimentally and theoretically investigate collective radiative effects in an ensemble of cold atoms coupled to a single-mode optical nanofiber. Our analysis unveils the microscopic dynamics of the system, showing that collective…
We present a depletion imaging technique to map out the spatial and temporal dependency of the density distribution of an ultracold gas of Rydberg atoms. Locally resolved absorption depletion, observed through differential ground state…
We investigate conditions under which multiatom absorption of a single photon leads to cooperative decay. Our analysis reveals the symmetry properties of the multiatom Dicke states underlying the cooperative decay dynamics and their…
We report on the experimental observation of non-trivial three-photon correlations imprinted onto initially uncorrelated photons through interaction with a single Rydberg superatom. Exploiting the Rydberg blockade mechanism, we turn a cold…
In this work we present a numerical and experimental investigation of the collective early-time decay rates of a strongly driven and optically dense cold atomic cloud. We prepare the atomic ensemble by driving the system to its steady state…
When atoms are excited to high-lying Rydberg states they interact strongly with dipolar forces. The resulting state-dependent level shifts allow to study many-body systems displaying intriguing nonequilibrium phenomena, such as constrained…
The dipole blockade between Rydberg atoms has been proposed as a basic tool in quantum information processing with neutral atoms. Here we demonstrate experimentally the Rydberg blockade of two individual atoms separated by 4 $\mu$m.…
Experiments in dense, ultracold gases of rubidium Rydberg atoms show a considerable decrease of the radiative excited state lifetimes compared to dilute gases. This accelerated decay is explained by collective and cooperative effects,…
We investigate theoretically the collective radiance characteristics of an atomic ensemble with the simultaneous decay of two atoms. We show that the two-atom decay can significantly suppress the steady-state collective radiance of the…
In an ensemble of laser-driven atoms involving strongly interacting Rydberg states, the excitation probability is usually strongly suppressed. In contrast, here we identify a regime in which the steady-state Rydberg excited fraction is…
Controlling strongly interacting many-body systems enables the creation of tailored quantum matter, with properties transcending those based solely on single particle physics. Atomic ensembles which are optically driven to a Rydberg state…
The preparation of light pulses with well-defined quantum properties requires precise control at the individual photon level. Here, we demonstrate exact and controlled multi-photon subtraction from incoming light pulses. We employ a…
We study two-photon excitation of Rydberg states of atoms under stimulated adiabatic passage with delayed laser pulses. We find that the combination of strong interaction between the atoms in Rydberg state and the spontaneous decay of the…
Ensembles of atoms interacting via their Rydberg levels, known as "superatoms" for their ability to encode qubits and to emit single photons, attract increasing attention as building blocks for quantum network nodes. Assessing their…
We study the dynamics of a single excitation coherently shared amongst an ensemble of atoms and coupled to a one-dimensional wave guide. The coupling between the matter and the light field gives rise to collective phenomena such as…
Ordered atomic arrays trapped in the vicinity of nanoscale waveguides offer original light-matter interfaces, with applications to quantum information and quantum non-linear optics. Here, we study the decay dynamics of a single collective…
The interaction of a single photon with an individual two-level system is the textbook example of quantum electrodynamics. Achieving strong coupling in this system so far required confinement of the light field inside resonators or…