Abstract
Alkali metal atomic vapours excited to high lying Rydberg states exhibit intrinsic optical bistability which has been the subject of several recent studies [1,2,3,4]. In this chapter we explore phenomena associated with Rydberg optical bistability, and compare the experimental results with simple phenomenological models. We find that critical slowing down is absent around the critical point corresponding to the onset of bistability. The presence of a spatial phase boundary is observed, which we describe with a 1D interacting-chain model. The work lays preparation for Chap. 8, in which we study Rydberg optical bistability modified by a THz field.
This chapter includes work published:
‘Intrinsic optical bistability in a strongly driven Rydberg ensemble’,
N. R. de Melo, C. G. Wade, N. Šibalić, J. M. Kondo, C. S. Adams, and K. J. Weatherill, Phys. Rev. A 93, 063863 (2016)
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Wade, C.G. (2018). Intrinsic Rydberg Optical Bistability. In: Terahertz Wave Detection and Imaging with a Hot Rydberg Vapour. Springer Theses. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-94908-6_5
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