Heidelberg 2015 – scientific programme

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 62: Poster: Quantum Optics and Photonics III

Q 62.1: Poster

Thursday, March 26, 2015, 17:00–19:00, C/Foyer

Towards imaging of single Rydberg Atoms — •Vladislav Gavryusev, Georg Günter, Gerhard Zuern, Miguel Ferreira-Cao, Giulia Faraoni, Hanna Schempp, Shannon Whitlock, and Matthias Weidemüller — Physikalisches Institut, Universitat Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany

Electronically highly excited (Rydberg) atoms constitute a system with long range interactions which allows to study many intriguing phenomena, ranging from quantum non-linear optics to dipole-mediated energy transport.

To optically image Rydberg atoms we use the interaction enhanced imaging technique [1] which exploits interaction-induced shifts on highly polarizable excited states of probe atoms, that can be spatially resolved via an electromagnetically induced transparency resonance. With this tool we observed by monitoring the Rydberg distribution the migration of Rydberg electronic excitations, driven by quantum-state changing interactions [2]. To push this technique to the level of individual Rydberg atom detection we developed a simple analytic Hard-Sphere model for light propagation through an atom cloud that takes into account interaction effects and technical noise sources. The model predicts a signal to noise ratio > 1 and agrees with numerical non linear light propagation simulations. We will present our progress towards the observation of individual Rydberg atoms which would allow to study the spatial and temporal dynamics of the system.

[1] G. Günter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 013002 (2012)

[2] G. Günter et al., Science 342, 954 (2013)