Avalanche Terahertz Photon Detection in a Rydberg Tweezer Array

Nill, Chris; Cabot, Albert; Trautmann, Arno; Groß, Christian; Lesanovsky, Igor

Abstract

We propose a protocol for the amplified detection of low-intensity terahertz radiation using Rydberg tweezer arrays. The protocol offers single photon sensitivity together with a low dark count rate. It is split into two phases: during a sensing phase, it harnesses strong terahertz-range transitions between highly excited Rydberg states to capture individual terahertz photons. During an amplification phase it exploits the Rydberg facilitation mechanism which converts a single terahertz photon into a substantial signal of Rydberg excitations. We discuss a concrete realization based on realistic atomic interaction parameters, develop a comprehensive theoretical model that incorporates the motion of trapped atoms and study the many-body dynamics using tensor network methods.

Citation

Nill, C., Cabot, A., Trautmann, A., Groß, C., & Lesanovsky, I. (2024). Avalanche Terahertz Photon Detection in a Rydberg Tweezer Array. Physical Review Letters, 133(7), Article 073603. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.133.073603

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 3, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Aug 14, 2024
• Publication Date: Aug 16, 2024
• Deposit Date: Sep 11, 2024
• Journal: Physical Review Letters
• Print ISSN: 0031-9007
• Electronic ISSN: 1079-7114
• Publisher: American Physical Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 133
• Issue: 7
• Article Number: 073603
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.133.073603
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/38383449