Coherent dynamics of Rydberg atoms in cosmic microwave background radiation

Abstract

Rydberg atoms excited by cold blackbody radiation are shown to display long-lived quantum coherences on timescales of tens of picoseconds. By solving non-Markovian equations of motion with no free parameters we obtain the time evolution of the density matrix, and demonstrate that the blackbody-induced temporal coherences manifest as slowly decaying (100 ps) quantum beats in time-resolved fluorescence. An analytic model shows the dependence of the coherent dynamics on the energy splitting between atomic eigenstates, transition dipole moments, and coherence time of the radiation. Experimental detection of the fluorescence signal from a trapped ensemble of $10^8$ Rydberg atom is discussed, but shown to be technically challenging at present, requiring CMB amplification somewhat beyond current practice.

9 pages, 6 figures

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• Quantum dynamics of incoherently driven V-type system: Analytic solutions beyond the secular approximation
• Transform-Limited-Pulse Representation of Excitation with Natural Incoherent Light
• Long-lived quantum coherences in a V-type system strongly driven by a thermal environment
• Transient Quantum Coherent Response to a Partially Coherent Radiation Field
• Generation of pseudo-sunlight via quantum entangled photons and the interaction with molecules
• Population trapping in the excited states using vacuum-induced coherence and adiabatic process