Demonstration and Modeling of Microwave-Enhanced Rydberg Interactions

Experimental tunability of interactions between atoms is a critical goal for advancing quantum technologies. In this work, we use microwave dressing to enhance Rydberg-Rydberg interactions in an atomic ensemble. We investigate the enhanced interactions by varying the cloud length relative to the blockade radius and measuring the statistics of the light retrieved from the ensemble. Our observations are successfully reproduced by a theoretical model that accounts for the excitation dynamics, atomic density distribution, and the phase-matched retrieval efficiency. This approach may be used for an improved single-photon source, where we show the improvement comes from direct enhancement of Rydberg blockade rather than multi-excitation dephasing. Our platform's versatility may enable further engineering of interactions and new quantum control strategies.