Understanding and Controlling Rydberg States in Solid-State Platforms for Quantum Technologies

Cuny City College, New York NY

Investigators

Abstract

This award is funded in whole or in part under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (Public Law 117-2). Rydberg states are electronically excited orbitals in atoms or molecules whose energy structure approximately follow that observed in atomic hydrogen. Key to many breakthroughs in atomic, molecular and optical physics, research during the last decade has also shown that much of the physics governing Rydberg dynamics in cold atoms finds a natural extension in condensed matter, thus hinting at novel technologies that simultaneously benefit from Rydberg traits and a solid-state implementation. This proposal brings together experimentalists and theorists at the City College of New York (CCNY) and the Center for Ultracold Atoms at Harvard/MIT to advance the understanding of Rydberg physics in novel solid-state systems comprising two-dimensional materials and wide-bandgap semiconductors. This cross-disciplinary team is ideally positioned to advance the scientific knowledge of this field as it combines experts in atomic and condensed matter physics with a know-how encompassing optical spectroscopy, materials science, nanofabrication, and fundamental solid-state modeling. Adding to the scientific objectives, a key goal of this PREP project is to establish a formal partnership that simultaneously increases and enriches the participation of students and postdocs belonging to groups that are most underrepresented in physics. To this end, the group will capitalize on successful minority recruitment channels to reach the broadest student population. The work is organized around two distinct, though closely related material systems: The first set of activities zeroes in on the so-called “exciton-polaritons”, hybrid quasiparticles emerging from the strong coupling between excitons and photons in a cavity. The focus is on polaritons in transition metal dichalcogenides, whose Rydberg states will be investigated in the presence of magnetic field, strain, and dielectric engineering with special attention to polariton formation and non-linear interaction. Complementing this work, the group will investigate the formation of Rydberg states in neutral color centers in diamond, where hydrogenic orbitals — crudely associated to a hole revolving a negatively-charged core — emerge under resonant optical excitation. The group will experimentally explore and theoretically model Rydberg state dynamics in these systems, better understand the interplay between electronic spin polarization and Rydberg state creation, and investigate Rydberg blockade effects between adjacent color centers. The nature of the physical platforms investigated — at the center of broad ongoing efforts yet minimally explored in their connection with Rydberg physics — makes these activities of interest, particularly as a route to recreate in the solid state the features that make Rydberg states so attractive for applications in quantum information processing. In addition, an extensive set of initiatives is envisioned aimed at advancing the career paths of students and postdocs including a science communication bootcamp, an ethics training course, a professional development seminar series, and an annual research symposium. The group is committed to instilling a sense of community, which will be realized through a close interaction between participating students in the form of regular virtual meetings (either led by the PIs or taking place informally) and student exchange between groups. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.