From coherent collective excitation to Rydberg blockade on an atom chip

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the transition from coherent collective Rydberg excitation to Rydberg blockade in an ultracold gas near an atom chip, using time-resolved measurements and theoretical modeling.

Contribution

It presents the first experimental observation of Rydberg blockade on an atom chip with detailed coherence characterization and theoretical validation.

Findings

Observation of Rydberg blockade at 100 μm from atom chip

Good agreement between experimental data and theoretical models

Progress in studying strongly interacting Rydberg gases on atom chips

Abstract

Using time-resolved measurements, we demonstrate coherent collective Rydberg excitation crossing over into Rydberg blockade in a dense and ultracold gas trapped at a distance of 100 $\mu$m from a room-temperature atom chip. We perform Ramsey-type measurements to characterize the coherence. The experimental data are in good agreement with numerical results from a master equation using a mean-field approximation, and with results from a super-atom-based Hamiltonian. These results represent significant progress in exploring a strongly interacting driven Rydberg gas on an atom chip.