Abstract This topical review addresses how semiconductor systems may reveal scalable properties similar to those known from Rydberg atoms and in which ways they may be utilized for precision sensing and to realize huge long‐range interactions in semiconductor systems. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field, it has a twofold purpose: First, it may serve as an introduction to Rydberg physics for semiconductor physicists unfamiliar with the topic. Second, it may also serve as an overview of the specific opportunities and challenges arising in semiconductor physics for researchers who are familiar with Rydberg physics of cold atom gases, but new to the field of semiconductor physics. The review starts with an introduction on the general properties of excitons in semiconductors. Then, the material system Cu 2 O, which is the best developed platform for semiconductor Rydberg physics at the moment, is discussed in detail.
Abstract This topical review addresses how semiconductor systems may reveal scalable properties similar to those known from Rydberg atoms and in which ways they may be utilized for precision sensing and to realize huge long‐range interactions in semiconductor systems. Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field, it has a twofold purpose: First, it may serve as an introduction to Rydberg physics for semiconductor physicists unfamiliar with the topic. Second, it may also serve as an overview of the specific opportunities and challenges arising in semiconductor physics for researchers who are familiar with Rydberg physics of cold atom gases, but new to the field of semiconductor physics. The review starts with an introduction on the general properties of excitons in semiconductors. Then, the material system Cu 2 O, which is the best developed platform for semiconductor Rydberg physics at the moment, is discussed in detail.
Abstract This topical review addresses how Rydberg atoms can serve as building blocks for emerging quantum technologies. Whereas the fabrication of large numbers of artificial quantum systems with the uniformity required for the most attractive applications is difficult if not impossible, atoms provide stable quantum systems which, for the same species and isotope, are all identical. Whilst atomic ground states provide scalable quantum objects, their applications are limited by the range over which their properties can be varied. In contrast, Rydberg atoms offer strong and controllable atomic interactions that can be tuned by selecting states with different principal quantum number or orbital angular momentum. In addition Rydberg atoms are comparatively long-lived, and the large number of available energy levels and their separations allow coupling to electromagnetic fields spanning over 6 orders of magnitude in frequency. These features make Rydberg atoms highly desirable for developing new quantum technologies. After giving a brief introduction to how the properties of Rydberg atoms can be tuned, we give several examples of current areas where the unique advantages of Rydberg atom systems are being exploited to enable new applications in quantum computing, electromagnetic field sensing, and quantum optics.
This topical review addresses how Rydberg atoms can serve as building blocks for emerging quantum technologies. Whereas the fabrication of large numbers of artificial quantum systems with the uniformity required for the most attractive applications is difficult if not impossible, atoms provide stable quantum systems which, for the same species and isotope, are all identical. Whilst atomic ground-states provide scalable quantum objects, their applications are limited by the range over which their properties can be varied. In contrast, Rydberg atoms offer strong and controllable atomic interactions that can be tuned by selecting states with different principal quantum number or orbital angular momentum. In addition Rydberg atoms are comparatively long-lived, and the large number of available energy levels and their separations allow coupling to electromagnetic fields spanning over 6 orders of magnitude in frequency. These features make Rydberg atoms highly desirable for developing new quantum technologies. After giving a brief introduction to how the properties of Rydberg atoms can be tuned, we give several examples of current areas where the unique advantages of Rydberg atom systems are being exploited to enable new applications in quantum computing, electromagnetic field sensing, and quantum optics.
Abstract Rydberg states have become essential in neutral-atom quantum computing as a way of coupling otherwise weakly interacting qubits. Storing information in relatively stable, compact ground states while using large excited states as temporary interaction resources is one of the key lessons that atomic Rydberg physics offers to other quantum platforms. Semiconductor spin qubits provide a very different route to quantum information processing. Their appeal lies in their small footprint, long spin coherence, compatibility with mature fabrication techniques, and potential integration with classical electronics. However, semiconductor architectures also face challenges: interactions are often short-ranged, individual addressing and wiring become increasingly complex at scale, and devices are sensitive to disorder, interfaces, strain, and charge noise. These difficulties motivate the search for other mechanisms that can enhance coupling or provide new readout and control channels without sacrificing advantages. Dopant-bound Rydberg states offer one such possibility. Shallow donors and acceptors in semiconductors possess hydrogenic excited states whose spatial extent and electric-dipole moments are much larger than those of their ground states. These states can be accessed by THz radiation and have already been studied extensively through impurity spectroscopy and, more recently, coherent-control experiments. In analogy with neutral-atom platforms, they need not serve as long-lived qubits themselves. Rather, they may act as auxiliary states that temporarily enhance interactions or provide new qubit control and readout pathways. In this chapter, we review dopant-bound Rydberg states from this perspective.
Rydberg atoms have emerged as a versatile platform for quantum optics due to their exaggerated properties, particularly their strong long-range interactions, which enable a new regime of light-matter interaction. By mapping the interactions between Rydberg atoms onto photons, effective photon-photon interactions can be realized at the single-photon level, thereby overcoming the intrinsic weakness of conventional optical nonlinearities. In this review, we first introduce the fundamental physical principles of Rydberg-mediated quantum optics, and then discuss some key developments, including single-photon engineering, photonic quantum gates, contactless nonlinear optics, and quantum entanglement, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and prospects of this rapidly developing field.
In recent years, Rydberg atoms have been the subject of intense study, becoming the testing ground for several quantum mechanical problems. This book provides a comprehensive description of the physics of Rydberg atoms, highlighting their remarkable properties by reference to their behaviour in a wide range of physical situations. Following an overview of the basic properties of Rydberg atoms, their interactions with electric and magnetic fields are analysed in detail. The collisions of Rydberg atoms with neutral and charged species are described, and the use of multichannel quantum defect theory in the study of Rydberg atomic systems is discussed. Experimental and theoretical research in this extensive field is also reviewed, making the book valuable to both graduate students and established researchers in physics and physical chemistry.
Over the past decade, Rydberg excitons in bulk Cu 2 O have emerged as a solid-state analog to atomic Rydberg systems, exhibiting exaggerated quantum optical properties including large dipole moments, strong dipole–dipole interactions, and enhanced nonlinear susceptibilities. High-resolution absorption spectroscopy has revealed elegant scaling laws with principal quantum number across temperatures from tens of mK to above 100 K. While many features follow a hydrogen-like model, non-hydrogenic effects arise from complex bandstructures and many-body interactions. This review summarizes experimental advances in accessing high- n Rydberg states and quantum phenomena arising from diverse exciton interaction mechanisms. It also discusses prospective quantum and nonlinear optical applications.