Related Experiment Video
Updated: Apr 25, 2026

A Photonic System for Generating Unconditional Polarization-Entangled Photons Based on Multiple Quantum Interference
Published on: September 5, 2019
Sub-Poissonian statistics of Rydberg-interacting dark-state polaritons
C S Hofmann1, G Günter1, H Schempp1
1Physikalisches Institut, Universität Heidelberg, Im Neuenheimer Feld 226, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
Abstract:
We observe individual dark-state polaritons as they propagate through an ultracold atomic gas involving Rydberg states coupled via an electromagnetically induced transparency resonance. Strong long-range interactions between Rydberg excitations give rise to a blockade between polaritons, resulting in large optical nonlinearities and modified polariton number statistics. By combining optical imaging and high-fidelity detection of the Rydberg polaritons we investigate both aspects of this coupled atom-light system. We map out the full nonlinear optical response as a function of atomic density and follow the temporal evolution of polaritons through the atomic cloud. In the blockade regime, the statistical fluctuations of the polariton number drop well below the quantum noise limit. The low level of fluctuations indicates that photon correlations modified by the strong interactions have a significant backaction on the Rydberg atom statistics.
Related Concept Videos
Potential Due to a Polarized Object
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Population Distribution
Raman Spectroscopy: Overview
However, a small fraction of the scattered light exhibits a frequency shift due to the exchange of energy between the incident photons and...
¹H NMR: Interpreting Distorted and Overlapping Signals
As Δν decreases and the signals move closer, the doublets appear increasingly distorted. The intensities of the inner lines increase at the cost of those of the outer lines as the signals are...
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Poisson's And Laplace's Equation

