Spatially resolved excitation of Rydberg atoms and surface effects on an atom chip

Journal Article · Tue Jun 15 04:00:00 EDT 2010 · Physical Review. A

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVA.81.063411· OSTI ID:21437920

Tauschinsky, Atreju; Thijssen, Rutger M. T.; Whitlock, S; Spreeuw, R J. C. ^[1]

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1. Van der Waals-Zeeman Institute, University of Amsterdam, Valckenierstraat 65, 1018 XE Amsterdam (Netherlands)

We demonstrate spatially resolved, coherent excitation of Rydberg atoms on an atom chip. Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) is used to investigate the properties of the Rydberg atoms near the gold-coated chip surface. We measure distance-dependent shifts ({approx}10 MHz) of the Rydberg energy levels caused by a spatially inhomogeneous electric field. The measured field strength and distance dependence is in agreement with a simple model for the electric field produced by a localized patch of Rb adsorbates deposited on the chip surface during experiments. The EIT resonances remain narrow (<4 MHz) and the observed widths are independent of atom-surface distance down to {approx} 20 {mu}m, indicating relatively long lifetime of the Rydberg states. Our results open the way to studies of dipolar physics, collective excitations, quantum metrology, and quantum information processing involving interacting Rydberg excited atoms on atom chips.

• OSTI ID: 21437920
• Journal Information: Physical Review. A, Journal Name: Physical Review. A Journal Issue: 6 Vol. 81; ISSN 1050-2947; ISSN PLRAAN
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
74 ATOMIC AND MOLECULAR PHYSICS
ATOMS
COLLECTIVE EXCITATIONS
DATA PROCESSING
DISTANCE
ELECTRIC FIELDS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY LEVELS
ENERGY-LEVEL TRANSITIONS
EXCITATION
EXCITED STATES
FREQUENCY RANGE
GOLD
INFORMATION
LIFETIME
METALS
MHZ RANGE
OPACITY
OPTICAL PROPERTIES
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
PROCESSING
QUANTUM INFORMATION
RESONANCE
RYDBERG STATES
SURFACES
TRANSITION ELEMENTS