Microwave control of Rydberg atom interactions

Abstract

We investigate the interaction between Rydberg atoms, whose electronic states are dressed by multiple microwave fields. Numerical calculations are used for an exact description of the microwave induced interactions, and employed to benchmark a perturbative treatment that yields simple insights into the involved mechanisms. Based on this theory, we demonstrate that microwave dressing provides a powerful approach to control dipolar as well as van der Waals interactions and even permits us to turn them off entirely. In addition, the proposed scheme also opens up possibilities for engineering dominant three-body interactions.