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arXiv:2501.16054 · Physical Review A

Hyperfine structure and collisions in three-photon Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency

Alisher Duspayev, Georg A. Raithel

Published Mar 27, 2025• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Multiphoton electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of atomic vapors involves several intermediate atomic levels. The substructure of these levels and their collisional interactions can drastically alter experimental EIT signals. Here we report on hyperfine structure and collision effects in three-photon Rydberg EIT on the cascade $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}5{P}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{D}_{3/2}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}25{F}_{5/2}$ in a room-temperature $^{85}\mathrm{Rb}$ vapor cell. In our measurements of EIT spectra, we identify two types of EIT signatures that correspond with distinct excitation pathways and atomic velocity classes in the atomic vapor. The $5{D}_{3/2}$ hyperfine structure and Autler-Townes splittings lead to complex patterns in the EIT spectra, which we analyze with the aid of 10-level EIT simulations. Adding 50 mTorr of Ar gas alters the EIT spectra and induces an additional, third EIT mode. Based on our simulation results, we attribute these changes to hyperfine collisions in the Rb $5{D}_{3/2}$ level. Our study may become useful in quantum technologies involving Rydberg EIT and hyperfine collisions in vapor cells, including noninvasive spatiotemporally resolved electric-field sensing of electric fields in low-pressure plasmas.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.111.032821

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Multiphoton electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of atomic vapors involves several intermediate atomic levels. The substructure of these levels and their collisional interactions can drastically alter experimental EIT signals. Here we report on hyperfine structure and collision effects in three-photon Rydberg EIT on the cascade 5S1/2\ensuremath→5P1/2\ensuremath→5D3/2\ensuremath→25F5/25{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}5{P}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{D}_{3/2}\phantom{\rule{4pt}{0ex}}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}25{F}_{5/2}5S1/2​\ensuremath→5P1/2​\ensuremath→5D3/2​\ensuremath→25F5/2​ in a room-temperature 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb vapor cell. In our measurements of EIT spectra, we identify two types of EIT signatures that correspond with distinct excitation pathways and atomic velocity classes in the atomic vapor. The 5D3/25{D}_{3/2}5D3/2​ hyperfine structure and Autler-Townes splittings lead to complex patterns in the EIT spectra, which we analyze with the aid of 10-level EIT simulations. Adding 50 mTorr of Ar gas alters the EIT spectra and induces an additional, third EIT mode. Based on our simulation results, we attribute these changes to hyperfine collisions in the Rb 5D3/25{D}_{3/2}5D3/2​ level. Our study may become useful in quantum technologies involving Rydberg EIT and hyperfine collisions in vapor cells, including noninvasive spatiotemporally resolved electric-field sensing of electric fields in low-pressure plasmas.
Three-color Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of room-temperature Rb\mathrm{Rb}Rb vapor in the presence of inert gases (Ar\mathrm{Ar}Ar, Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne, and N2{\mathrm{N}}_{2}N2​) at 50 and 500 mTorr is investigated. The observed EIT lines shift and develop blue-detuned satellite lines, dependent on inert-gas species and pressure. The separations of the satellite from the main EIT lines are approximately pressure-independent, while their strength increases with inert-gas pressure. The satellite lines are attributed to hyperfine collisions of the intermediate 5D3/25{D}_{3/2}5D3/2​ state. Further, analyzing the Stark effect of Rydberg levels, it is found that the inert gases suppress static electric fields in the vapor cells, which we induce by photoillumination of the cell walls with an auxiliary 453-nm laser. In the work, we utilize Rydberg levels with principal quantum numbers n=25n=25n=25 and 505050 and angular momenta $\ensuremath{\ell}=3$ up to 6, excited by the EIT lasers and optional radio-frequency dressing fields. The work is of interest in the spectroscopic study of mixed-species warm vapors, in sensing applications of Rydberg atoms in vapor cells, and in noninvasive electric-field diagnostics of low-pressure discharge plasma.
A comprehensive study of three-photon electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and absorption (EIA) on the rubidium cascade $5{S}_{1/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{P}_{3/2}$ (laser wavelength 780 nm), $5{P}_{3/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}5{D}_{5/2}$ (776 nm), and $5{D}_{5/2}\ensuremath{\rightarrow}28{F}_{7/2}$ (1260 nm) is performed. The 780-nm probe and 776-nm dressing beams are counteraligned through a Rb room-temperature vapor cell, and the 1260-nm coupler beam is co- or counteraligned with the probe beam. Several cases of EIT and EIA, measured over a range of detunings of the 776-nm beam, are studied. The observed phenomena are modeled by numerically solving the Lindblad equation, and the results are interpreted in terms of the probe-beam absorption behavior of velocity- and detuning-dependent dressed states. Interaction-time effects are discussed. To explore the utility of three-photon Rydberg EIA and EIT for microwave electric-field diagnostics, a sub-THz field generated by a signal source and a frequency quadrupler is applied to the Rb cell. The 100.633-GHz field resonantly drives the $28{F}_{7/2}\ensuremath{\leftrightarrow}29{D}_{5/2}$ transition and causes Autler-Townes splittings in the Rydberg EIA and EIT spectra, which are measured and employed to characterize the performance of the microwave quadrupler.
We present experimental results on the influence of magnetic fields and laser polarization on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) using Rydberg levels of ^{87} 87 Rb atoms. The measurements are performed in a room temperature vapor cell with two counter-propagating laser beams at 480 m and 780 m in a ladder-type energy level scheme. We measure the EIT spectrum of a range of ns_{1/2} n s 1 / 2 Rydberg states for n=19-27 n = 19 − 27 , where the hyperfine structure can still be resolved. Our measurements span the range of magnetic fields from the low field linear Zeeman regime to the high field Paschen-Back regimes. The observed spectra are very sensitive to small changes in magnetic fields and the polarization of the laser beams. We model our observations using optical Bloch equations that take into account the full multi-level structure of the atomic states involved and the decoupling of the electronic J J and nuclear I I angular momenta in the Breit-Rabi regime. The numerical model yields excellent agreement with the observations. In addition to EIT related experiments, our results are relevant for experiments involving coherent excitation to Rydberg levels in the presence of magnetic fields.
We investigate two-photon Autler-Townes splitting and strong-field effects of 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb Rydberg atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell. To observe the level structure we employ electromagnetically induced transparency. We first study the two-photon $62{S}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}63{S}_{1/2}$ microwave transition using an electric-field reference measurement obtained with the one-photon $62{S}_{1/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}62{P}_{3/2}$ transition. We then study the $61{D}_{5/2}\text{\ensuremath{-}}62{D}_{5/2}$ transition where the microwave electric-field range is extended up to $\ensuremath{\sim}40\phantom{\rule{0.28em}{0ex}}\mathrm{V}/\mathrm{m}$. A Floquet analysis is used to model field-induced level shifts and state-mixing effects present in the strongly driven quantum systems under consideration. Calculations are found to be in good agreement with experimental observations.
An experimental study on Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in rubidium (Rb) vapor cells containing inert gases at pressures ≤5 Torr is reported. Using an inert-gas-free Rb vapor cell as a reference, we measure frequency shift and line broadening of the EIT spectra in Rb vapor cells with argon, neon, or nitrogen gases at pressures ranging from a few mTorr to 5 Torr. The results qualitatively agree with a pseudo-potential model that includes s-wave scattering between the Rydberg electron and the inert-gas atoms and the effect of polarization of the inert-gas atoms by the Rydberg atoms. Our results are important for establishing Rydberg-EIT as an all-optical and non-intrusive spectroscopic probe for field diagnostics in low-pressure radio frequency discharges.
We report on rubidium vapor-cell Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a 0.7~T magnetic field where all involved levels are in the hyperfine Paschen-Back regime, and the Rydberg state exhibits a strong diamagnetic interaction with the magnetic field. Signals from both 85Rb^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb and 87Rb^{87}\mathrm{Rb}87Rb are present in the EIT spectra. This feature of isotope-mixed Rb cells allows us to measure the field strength to within a ±0.12\pm 0.12±0.12\% relative uncertainty. The measured spectra are in excellent agreement with the results of a Monte Carlo calculation and indicate unexpectedly large Rydberg-level dephasing rates. Line shifts and broadenings due to small inhomogeneities of the magnetic field are included in the model.