Rydberg Exciton Dynamics in the Blockade Regime of Cu2O

TL;DR

This paper investigates the dynamics of Rydberg excitons in Cu2O, revealing how strong dipolar interactions lead to blockade effects and exciton recombination coupling, advancing solid-state Rydberg physics understanding.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed observation of Rydberg blockade dynamics in Cu2O at high excitation densities using time-resolved spectroscopy.

Findings

Rydberg blockade is mainly governed by resonant dipolar interactions.

Exciton recombination is coupled to the blockade effect.

Strong interactions enable manipulation of Rydberg excitons in solid state.

Abstract

Hosting giant Rydberg excitons with principal quantum numbers up to n = 30, cuprous oxide (Cu2O) provides a rare solid-state setting for exploring Rydberg physics, as exemplified by the blockade effect. Here we access the strongly interaction regime at high excitation densities (10^14-10^16/cm^3) and resolve the corresponding blockade dynamics for n = 2-7 using time-resolved spectroscopy. We find that Rydberg blockades are primarily governed by resonant dipolar interactions and that exciton recombination is coupled to the blockade itself. These findings demonstrate the potential for manipulating Rydberg exctions in the strongly interacting blockade regime in a solid state system.