Our team has made first observations of Erbium Rydberg levels in a hot atomic beam. Using a spectroscopy technique called electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) we have measured more than 550 highly excited states of Er166. Our results show how the unique properties of Erbium effect the Rydberg series and provide a first step to Rydberg physics with Erbium.
In collaboration with Prof. Francis Robicheaux and Prof. Chris Greene from Purdue University, we have performed Multi-channel Quantum Defect Theory (MQDT) to explain our results, and assign principal quantum numbers to the s and d series. Our results open the way for future applications of Rydberg states for quantum simulation using Erbium and exploiting its unique properties based on its open-shell structure.
Our work has been published in the Open-Access Journal Physical Review Research