Lida Zhang, Texas A&M University
Rydberg atoms, which possess large-dipole moments and the resulting strong dipole- dipole interactions, have been intensively investigated owing to its potential applications in diverse fields ranging from quantum nonlinear optics to quantum information and computation. Exclusive examples includes photon blockade, attractive photons and single-photon transistors, to mention a few.
In this talk, I will introduce to you an exciting phenomenon that three inter- acting Rydberg atoms can lead to the formation of a three-body bound states, as shown in a recent PRL paper. The Rydberg atoms have pairwise dipole-dipole interactions and are further subject to a static electric field which gives rise to Stark shift of the internal high-lying ns and np states. It is then found that the competition between the Stark shift and dipole-dipole interactions is the underlying mechanism for the bound states, which is physically distinct from the Efimov states which does not consider the internal degrees of freedom of the involved particles. Future perspectives in connection to supersolid, quantum spin liquid and also Rydberg excitons will be also discussed.