We study telecom-wavelength spectra of a Rydberg state in an atomic vapor with a three-photon excitation scheme. Two lasers of 780 nm and 776 nm are used to pump rubidium-85 atoms in a vapor cell to the 5 D 5/2 state, from which a probe beam of 1292 nm in the O-band telecommunication wavelength drives a transition to the 21 F 7/2 Rydberg state. We investigate the probe spectra over the power of pump lasers. The simulation based on a 4-level theoretical model captures the main features of the experimental results. This spectroscopic study paves the way for future experiments of making a direct link between fiber optics and radio transmission via Rydberg atoms.
We study telecom-wavelength spectra of a Rydberg state in an atomic vapor with a three-photon excitation scheme. Two lasers of 780 nm and 776 nm are used to pump rubidium-85 atoms in a vapor cell to the 5 D 5/2 state, from which a probe beam of 1292 nm in the O-band telecommunication wavelength drives a transition to the 21 F 7/2 Rydberg state. We investigate the probe spectra over the power of pump lasers. The simulation based on a 4-level theoretical model captures the main features of the experimental results. This spectroscopic study paves the way for future experiments of making a direct link between fiber optics and radio transmission via Rydberg atoms.
We present nonlinear spectra of four-level ladder cesium atoms employing 6S 1/2 → 6P 3/2→ 7S 1/2 → 30P 3/2 scheme of a room temperature vapor cell. A coupling laser drives Rydberg transition, a dressing laser couples two intermediate levels, and a probe laser optically probes the nonlinear spectra via electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). Nonlinear spectra are detected as a function of coupling laser frequency. The observed spectra exhibit an enhanced absorption (EA) signal at coupling laser resonance to Rydberg transition and enhanced transmission (ET) signals at detunings to the transition. We define the enhanced absorption (transmission) strength, H EA (H ET), and distance between two ET peaks, γ ET, to describe the spectral feature of the four-level atoms. The enhanced absorption signal H EA is found to have a maximum value when we vary the dressing laser Rabi frequency Ω d, corresponding Rabi frequency is defined as a separatrix point, Ω dSe . The values of Ω dSe and further η = Ω dSe /Ω c are found to depend on the probe and coupling Rabi frequency but not the atomic density. Based on Ω dSe , the spectra can be separated into two regimes, weak and strong dressing ranges, Ω d ≲ Ω dSe and Ω d ≳ Ω dSe , respectively. The spectroscopies display different features at these two regimes. A four-level theoretical model is developed that agrees well with the experimental results in terms of the probe-beam absorption behavior of Rabi frequency-dependent dressed states.
We demonstrate the single-photon excitation spectra of cesium Rydberg atoms by means of a Doppler-free purely all-optical detection with a room-temperature vapor cell and a 319 nm ultra-violet (UV) laser. We excite atoms directly from 6S1/2 ground state to 71P3/2 Rydberg state with a narrow-linewidth 319 nm UV laser. The detection of Rydberg states is performed by monitoring the absorption of an 852 nm probe beam in a V-type three-level system. With a strong coupling light, we observe the Autler-Townes (AT) doublet, and the dependences of the separation and linewidths on the coupling intensity are experimentally investigated, which is consistent with the prediction based on the dressed state theory. Moreover, the AT splitting can be used to measure the Rabi frequency. In an external magnetic field, the Rydberg spectra of nondegenerate Zeeman sublevels are demonstrated. The splitting of the spectrum is of great significance for studying the characteristics of Rydberg atoms.
Doppler broadening presents a major limitation for high-resolution spectroscopy and nonlinear optics in room-temperature atomic vapors. Here, we demonstrate the suppression of Doppler broadening accompanied by pronounced absorption on the upper transition of a three-level ladder system, achieved by dressing the intermediate state with a strong control field. As a concrete realization, we study a hot vapor of 87Rb where the lower transition is driven by a strong control field resonant with the D2 line at a wavelength of 780 nm, while a weak counter-propagating probe field at the telecom C-band wavelength of 1529 nm (5P(3/2)↔4D(5/2)) interrogates the dressed states. We observe absorption features with a resonant optical depth of approximately 4 and a full width at half maximum of about 17 MHz. Remarkably, this corresponds to an order-of-magnitude reduction relative to the Doppler width, while the optical depth on the upper transition of the ladder scheme exceeds that of the Doppler-broadened lower transition. The measured spectra are in good agreement with theoretical modeling. Combining high optical density with sub-Doppler-width absorption lines typically requires laser-cooled atoms, while our approach profits from the experimental simplicity of a hot-vapor platform.
We report the measurement of the absolute transition frequencies of 87Rb atoms to the nP1/2 (n=34−−52) and nP3/2 (n=34−−90) Rydberg states by performing single-photon Rydberg excitation spectroscopy in a vapor cell. Rydberg transitions were detected by monitoring the transmission of a 780-nm probe beam. Based on the spectroscopic data, we determined the fine-splitting intervals and oscillator-strength ratios of the nP doublets and also extracted the quantum defects and ionization frequency. These results extend the spectroscopic information of the nP Rydberg series, providing basic knowledge for further applications to Rydberg atoms.
Abstract A two step excitation scheme in hot atomic sodium vapor is experimentally investigated. The observed effects reflect a coupling between the 32S, 32P and the 32D states. We present the relative dependence on detuning of the two utilized lasers around λ = 589 nm and 819 nm. Unlike expected, we achieve a higher detuning dependence of the probe and the coupling laser by a factor of approximately three. The presented work aimed for a Rydberg excitation and quantum light storage. Such schemes are usually implemented with a red laser on the D-line transition and a coupling laser of shorter (typically blue) wavelength. Due to the fact that higher P-Rydberg states are approximately two times higher in energy than the 32D state, a two photon transition from the atomic excited 32P state to a Rydberg P state is feasible. This might circumvent laser frequency doubling whereby only two lasers might mediate a three photon process. The scheme of adding threek-vectors allows for electromagnetically induced transparency experiments in which the resulting k-vector can be effectively reduced to zero. By measurements utilizing electric fields and an analysis of the emission spectrum of the atomic vapor, we can exclude the excitation of the P-P two photon transition.
The spectra of Rydberg atoms are of great significance for studying the energy levels of Rydberg atoms and the interaction between neutral atoms, especially, the high-precision spectra of Rydberg atoms can be used to measure the energy level shifts of Rydberg atoms resulting from the dipole-dipole interactions in room-temperature vapor cells. In this paper we report the preparation of cesium Rydberg states based on the cascaded two-photon excitation of 509 nm laser and 852 nm laser in opposite, and the measurements of the fine structure of cesium Rydberg states. In this experiment, the 509 nm laser is generated by the cavity-enhanced second-harmonic generation from 1018 nm laser with a periodically-poled KTP crystal and has a maximum power of about 1 W, and the 852 nm probe laser is provided by an external-cavity diode laser with a maximum output power of 5 mW and a typical linewidth of 1 MHz. By scanning the frequency of 509 nm coupling laser, it is presented that the Doppler-free spectra based on electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) of 509 nm coupling laser and 852 nm probe laser. The velocity-selective EIT spectra are used to study the spectral splitting of 6S1/26P3/257S(D) ladder-type system of cesium Rydberg atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell. The powers of 852 nm probe laser and 509 nm coupling laser are 0.3 upW and 200 mW, respectively. Their waist radii are both approximately 50 m. The intervals of hyperfine splitting of the intermediate state 6P3/2(F'=3, 4, 5) and fine splitting of 57D3/2 and 57D5/2 Rydberg states are measured by a frequency calibrating. Concretely, the velocity-selective spectrum with a radio frequency (RF) modulation of 30 MHz is used as a reference to calibrate the Rydberg fine-structure states in the hot vapor cell, where the RF frequency precision is smaller than a hertz on long time scales and the EIT linewidth is smaller than 13 MHz. The experimental value of the fine structure splitting of 57D3/2 and 57D5/2 Rydberg states is (354.72.5) MHz, that is in consistence with the value of 346.8 MHz calculated by Rydberg-Ritz equation and quantum defects of 57D3/2 and 57D5/2 Rydberg states. The experimental values of hyperfine splitting of intermediate state 6P3/2(F'=3, 4, 5) are also coincident with the theoretical calculated values. The dominant discrepancy existing between the experimental and calculated results may arise from the nonlinear correspondence of the PZT while the 509 nm wavelength cavity is scanned, and the measurement accuracy influenced by the spectral linewidth. The velocity-selective spectroscopy technique can also be used to measure the energy level shifts caused by the interactions of Rydberg atoms.