Observation of the Stark-tuned Forster resonance between two Rydberg atoms

TL;DR

This paper reports the first spectroscopic observation of Stark-tuned Forster resonance between two cold Rydberg atoms, demonstrating controlled dipole-dipole interactions crucial for quantum computing applications.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental observation and control of Forster resonance between two Rydberg atoms using Stark tuning, supported by numerical simulations.

Findings

Resonance line shapes match Monte Carlo simulations

Controlled interaction via Stark tuning demonstrated

First spectroscopic observation of this resonance

Abstract

Cold atoms in highly excited Rydberg states are promising candidates to implement quantum logic gates of a quantum computer via long-range dipole-dipole interaction. Two-qubit gates require a controlled interaction of only two close Rydberg atoms. We report on the first spectroscopic observation of the resonant dipole-dipole interaction between two cold rubidium Rydberg atoms confined in a small laser excitation volume. The interaction strength was controlled by fine-tuning of the Rydberg levels into a Forster resonance using the Stark effect. The observed resonance line shapes are in good agreement with numerical Monte Carlo simulations.