2018/06/06 by F. Ripka, Fabian Ripka, H. Kübler +5 · 177 citations
Chemistry · Computer Science · Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic physics #Chemistry #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Diamond #Excited state #Optoelectronics #Photon #Physics #Quantum #Quantum Information and Cryptography #Quantum dot #Quantum entanglement #Quantum information science #Quantum mechanics #Quantum optics #Quantum optics and atomic interactions #Rubidium #Rydberg atom #Rydberg formula #Single-photon source #physics.atom-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1126/science.aau1949
published in Science 362(6413), 446-449 (American Association for the Advancement of Science) · 12 pages, 5 figures total, supplementary information
arxiv created 2018/06/06 · openalex created_date 2018/06/13 · openalex publication_date 2018/10/26 · arxiv updated 2018/11/14 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Tailored quantum states of light can be created via a transfer of collective quantum states of matter to light modes. Such collective quantum states emerge in interacting many-body systems if thermal fluctuations are overcome by sufficient interaction strengths. Therefore, ultracold temperatures or strong confinement are typically required. We show that the exaggerated interactions between Rydberg atoms allow for collective quantum states even above room temperature. The emerging Rydberg interactions lead both to suppression of multiple Rydberg state excitations and destructive interference due to polariton dephasing. We experimentally implemented a four-wave mixing scheme to demonstrate an on-demand single-photon source. The combination of glass cell technology, identical atoms, and operation around room temperature promises scalability and integrability. This approach has the potential for various applications in quantum information processing and communication.