We present an experimental study of cavity assisted Rydberg atom electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) using a high-finesse optical cavity (F ⇠ 28000). Rydberg atoms are excited via a two-photon transition in a ladder-type EIT configuration. A three-peak structure of the cavity transmission spectrum is observed when Rydberg EIT is generated inside the cavity. The two symmetrically spaced side peaks are caused by bright-state polaritons, while the central peak corresponds to a dark-state polariton. Anti-crossing phenomenon and the e↵ects of mirror adsorbate electric fields are studied under di↵erent experimental conditions. We determine a lower bound on the coherence time for the system of 7.26 ± 0.06 µs, most likely limited by laser dephasing. The cavity-Rydberg EIT system can be useful for single photon generation using the Rydberg blockade e↵ect, studying many-body physics, and generating novel quantum states amongst many other applications.

A theoretical study of surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) on periodically poled lithium niobate and periodically poled lithium tantalate surfaces is presented. We calculate the dielectric response for six different superlattice orientations and the associated SPhP dispersion relations. Our study of SPhPs accounts for the anisotropic nature of the dielectric response of the semi-infinite piezoelectric superlattices. We find that two different types of SPhPs can be supported. The first type consists of real surface dipole oscillations coupled to photons. The second type consists of virtual surface dipole oscillations driven by the incident photons. The dependence of the SPhPs on temperature and superlattice geometry is addressed. The use of these metamaterial excitations is discussed in the context of hybrid quantum systems.

We propose a hybrid quantum system where the strong coupling regime can be achieved between a Rydberg atomic ensemble and propagating surface phonon polaritons on a piezoelectric superlattice. By exploiting the large electric dipole moment and long lifetime of Rydberg atoms as well as tightly confined surface phonon polariton modes, it is possible to achieve a coupling constant far exceeding the relevant decay rates. The frequency of the surface mode can be selected so it is resonant with a Rydberg transition by engineering the piezoelectric superlattice. We describe a way to observe the Rabi splitting associated with the strong coupling regime under realistic experimental conditions. The system can be viewed as a new type of optomechanical system. PACS numbers: 42.50. Nn, 42.50.Pq, 71.36.+c, 32.80.Ee Atom-surface interactions continue to attract attention because they are an essential factor in many areas of physics [1][2][3]. For example, recent work with surface phonon polaritons (SPhPs) has focused on realizing quantum photonic devices using atom-surface coupling [4,5]. Moreover, a great deal of effort has been invested in controlling the interaction between atoms and modified surfaces, including photonic crystals [6,7], nanofibers [8], as well as microspheres [9].