Mainz 2026 – scientific programme

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 36: Poster – Ultra-cold Atoms, Ions and BEC (joint session A/Q)

A 36.31: Poster

Thursday, March 5, 2026, 17:00–19:00, Philo 1. OG

Long-lived giant circular Rydberg states at room temperature for quantum simulation — •Einius Pultinevicius, Aaron Götzelmann, Armin Humic, Marius Thomas, Fabian Thielemann, Christian Hölzl, and Florian Meinert — 5. Physikalisches Institut, Universität Stuttgart

Highly excited Rydberg atoms feature extreme properties, making them valuable for many applications ranging from sensing to the use in quantum computing and simulation. Commonly used low-ℓ, optically accessible Rydberg states have a limited lifetime which imposes a fundamental restriction on their coherence times. In our experiment, we overcome this limitation by transferring the Rydberg electron to a circular Rydberg state (CRS) with maximally allowed orbital momentum. The use of a transparent capacitor with indium-tin-oxide-coated glass plates reduces the mode-density of resonant black-body photons, further increasing the lifetime while preserving optical access.

Here, we characterize this effect over a wide range of n from 79 up to 101, enabled by successive coherent population transfer between close-by CRS. The measured decay dynamics indicate additional resonant features involving additional decay paths, which are explained by taking into account the full electrode structure around the atom. We demonstrate lifetimes reaching 10 ms at room-temperature and a trapping time of more than 100 ms, paving the way for experiments with Rydberg atoms on unprecedented timescales.

Keywords: Quantum Simulation; Circular Rydberg States; Purcell effect