Rydberg atoms are the granddaddies of the atomic world: they are billions of times bigger than standard size atoms and a million times more powerful.
When stimulated by light, these atoms boast an outer electron that can travel large distances away from the central nucleus, whilst generating a powerful electric dipole that can interact with other atoms that would usually be out of reach.
Rydberg atoms are therefore perfect candidates for acting as atomic logic gates within quantum computers: simply expose a ground state atom to its “magic wavelength” of light, and it expands, interacting with other particles and triggering a chain reaction.
Now, researchers are finally discovering the magic wavelength of light needed to activate these atomic monsters, and the world of Rydberg physics has become limitless.
Physicists from across the globe are racing to work out how to harness the power of Rydberg atoms, including using them to turn on quantum computers made out of light and potentially developing quantum desktop computers for everyday use.
“Rydberg physics has grown in momentum throughout the last decade,” says Charles Adams, a physicist from the Joint Quantum Centre at the University of Durham. “There are groups almost everywhere now doing some aspect of this.”
Science journalist Keith Cooper discusses the power of mammoth Rydberg atoms and the researchers racing to find the right conditions for these atoms to work as quantum logic gates, all in this month’s Physics World.
