An Intracavity Rydberg Superatom for Optical Quantum Engineering: Coherent Control, Single-Shot Detection and Optical $\pi$ Phase Shift

TL;DR

This paper introduces an intracavity Rydberg superatom acting as a single quantum entity, enabling coherent control, high-efficiency detection, and a significant optical phase shift, advancing optical quantum computing capabilities.

Contribution

It presents a novel intracavity Rydberg superatom platform with coherent control, single-shot detection, and phase manipulation, crucial for quantum information processing.

Findings

Achieved 95% detection efficiency of the superatom state.

Demonstrated a $ ext{ phase shift} on reflected light.

Enabled potential for deterministic photonic entangling gates.

Abstract

We demonstrate a new versatile building block for optical quantum technologies, based on an intracavity Rydberg-blockaded atomic ensemble acting as a single two-level superatom. We coherently control its state and optically detect it in a single shot with a $95\%$ efficiency. Crucially, we demonstrate a superatom-state-dependent $\pi$ phase rotation on the light reflected from the cavity. Together with the state manipulation and detection, it is a key ingredient for implementing deterministic photonic entangling gates and for generating highly non-classical light states.