Storage and retrieval of photons under their mutual interaction in Rydberg medium

TL;DR

This paper investigates how photon pairs interact and are stored in Rydberg atomic ensembles, revealing detailed dynamics and conditions for effective photonic quantum gates, including non-adiabatic correction methods.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of photon storage and retrieval dynamics in Rydberg media, highlighting effects beyond the Rydberg blockade and proposing a method to restore photon amplitudes.

Findings

Detailed evolution profiles of quantum fields during photon interactions.

Identification of regimes suitable for photonic gate implementation.

A method to restore photon amplitudes during retrieval.

Abstract

Stopping and regenerating a pair of single-photon pulses at adjacent locations in coherently prepared Rydberg atomic ensembles are significantly affected by their effective interaction mediated by Rydberg excitations, and the similar processes can differ notably from the one exhibiting the common Rydberg blockade as with the stationary propagation of multi-photon light beams in the same medium. Based on the complete dynamics, we reveal the detailed features in such processes by finding how the profiles of the involved quantum fields evolve in various situations. The findings help to determine the proper regimes for implementing photonic gates and transistors. In addition, we discuss the non-adiabatic corrections associated with quickly changing control fields, and illustrate a method that restores the photon pulses' original amplitude during their retrieval unless they are heavily damped before storage.