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Phase transition and optical bistability in a cold Rydberg Rb sample observed via absorption spectroscopy
Manuel Alejandro Lefrán Torres1, Jorge Guillermo Marquez Díaz1, Jorge Douglas Massayuki Kondo2
1Instituto de Física de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, 13560-970, Brazil.
None:
In this work, we have investigated a phase transition and optical bistability in a cold [Formula: see text]Rb sample excited to the [Formula: see text] Rydberg state, using absorption spectroscopy while scanning the Rydberg excitation laser for [Formula: see text]. The system is characterized through its dependence on the Rydberg Rabi frequency and principal quantum number, exhibiting hysteretic behavior indicative of bistability. We further analyze its time evolution, revealing the characteristic dynamics of the transition between stable states. The results are consistent with optical bistability induced by a cold plasma in the presence of Rydberg blockade. This work demonstrates the role of collective many-body interactions in establishing nonlinear optical responses in strongly interacting Rydberg ensembles.
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