Suppression of motional dephasing using state mapping

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to significantly extend the coherence time of Rydberg atoms by applying a phase correction based on atomic motion, improving quantum information processing capabilities.

Contribution

The authors propose and experimentally demonstrate a novel phase mapping technique to suppress motional dephasing in Rydberg atoms, enhancing quantum coherence.

Findings

Over tenfold increase in coherence time achieved

Method effective despite environmental and laser noise

Potential for long-lived single-photon storage in Rydberg media

Abstract

Rydberg-mediated quantum optics is a useful route toward deterministic quantum information processing based on single photons and quantum networks, but is bottlenecked by the fast motional dephasing of Rydberg atoms. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate suppressing the motional dephasing by creating an {\it a priori} unknown but correct phase to each Rydberg atom in an atomic ensemble. The phase created is exactly proportional to the unknown velocity of the thermal motion, resulting in a condition as if no thermal motion occurs to the Rydberg atom upon the retrieval of the signal photon. Our experiments, though hampered by the noise of lasers and the environment, demonstrate more than one order of magnitude enhancement of the coherence time. The feasibility of realizing long-lived storage of single photons in strongly interacting Rydberg media sheds new light on Rydberg-mediated quantum nonlinear optics.