Abstract
Controlling the interactions between ultracold atoms is crucial for quantum simulation and computation purposes. Highly excited Rydberg atoms are considered in this prospect for their strong and controllable interactions known in the dipole-dipole case to induce non-radiative energy transfers between atom pairs, similarly to fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET) in biological systems. Here we predict few-body FRET processes in Rydberg atoms and observe the first three-body resonance energy transfer in cold Rydberg atoms using cold caesium atoms. In these resonances, additional relay atoms carry away an energy excess preventing the two-body resonance, leading thus to a Borromean type of energy transfer. These few-body processes present strong similarities with multistep FRET between chromophores sometimes called donor-bridge-acceptor or superexchange. Most importantly, they generalize to any Rydberg atom and could lead to new implementations of few-body quantum gates or entanglement.
Highlights
Controlling the interactions between ultracold atoms is crucial for quantum simulation and computation purposes
The van der Waals interactions arise from out-of-resonance dipole–dipole interactions, which can be tuned to resonance under the proper electric field[18] thanks to the Stark effect. When this condition is fulfilled, they can lead to non-radiative energy transfers called Forster resonances due to their similarity with fluorescence resonance energy transfer[19] (FRET) that has been presented by Forster[20] to explain energy transport in biological systems, after a purely quantum description by Perrin[21]
The similarity between Rydberg physics and FRET in biological systems has motivated the use of Rydberg atoms for the study of quantum energy transport[23,24] induced by two-body FRET in many-body systems
Summary
Controlling the interactions between ultracold atoms is crucial for quantum simulation and computation purposes. The van der Waals interactions arise from out-of-resonance dipole–dipole interactions, which can be tuned to resonance under the proper electric field[18] thanks to the Stark effect When this condition is fulfilled, they can lead to non-radiative energy transfers called Forster resonances due to their similarity with fluorescence resonance energy transfer[19] (FRET) that has been presented by Forster[20] to explain energy transport in biological systems, after a purely quantum description by Perrin[21]. Biological studies are trying to determine to what extent the quantum nature of FRET remains at ambient temperature[25] and how few-body mechanisms might influence the energy transport: multistep FRET26 has been demonstrated using relay chromophores or quantum dots, even for non-resonant relays[27] in so-called donor-bridge-acceptor or superexchange configurations[28]
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