Nonlinear quantum optics mediated by Rydberg interactions

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Date: 
2016-06-30
Author(s): 

D. S. Ding, C. S. Adams, B. S. Shi, G. C. Guo

Reference: 

J. Phys. B: At. Mol. Opt. Phys. 49 (2016) 152003

URL: 

10.1088/0953-4075/49/15/152003

By mapping the strong interaction between Rydberg excitations in ultra-cold atomic ensembles onto single photons via electromagnetically induced transparency, it is now possible to realize a medium which exhibits a strong optical nonlinearity at the level of individual photons. We review the theoretical concepts and the experimental state-of-the-art of this exciting new field, and discuss first applications in the field of all-optical quantum information processing.