Improvement of a Rydberg-based Single-photon Source with Microwave Dressing

Enhancing Rydberg interactions for quantum applications can be achieved by exciting atoms to higher principal quantum numbers. However, there are challenges associated with the exaggerated properties of large-n Rydberg states that require tradeoffs in other performance metrics. In this work we study the use of microwave-dressed Rydberg states to enhance interactions in an ensemble-based single-photon source. We show that by coupling nS to n'P states via microwaves, it is possible to turn on resonant dipole-dipole interactions. We demonstrate that the achievable single-photon purity at a given principal quantum number can be significantly increased, allowing for improved performance at lower principal quantum numbers. We study the impact of the dressing parameters on the production efficiency, the second-order correlation function g⁽²⁾(0), and the spin-wave lifetime. Our work shows that microwave dressing can be a useful tool for Rydberg-based quantum technologies.