Scientific Reports 5

Phase Modulation in Rydberg Dressed Multi-Wave Mixing processes

Zhaoyang Zhang, Huaibin Zheng, Xin Yao, Yaling Tian, Junling Che, Xiuxiu Wang, Dayu Zhu, Yanpeng Zhang, Min Xiao.
We study the enhancement and suppression of different multi-waving mixing (MWM) processes in a Rydberg-EIT rubidium vapor system both theoretically and experimentally. The nonlinear dispersion property of hot rubidium atoms is modulated by the Rydberg-Rydberg interaction, which can result in a nonlinear phase shift of the relative phase between dark and bright states. Such Rydberg-induced nonlinear phase shift can be quantitatively estimated by the lineshape asymmetry in the enhancedand suppressed MWM processes, which can also demonstrate the cooperative atom-light interaction caused by Rydberg blockaded regime. Current study on phase shift is applicable to phase-sensitive detection and the study of strong Rydberg-Rydberg interaction.