Three-dimensional three-photon Stark spectroscopy of a single Rb Rydberg atom in an ultrahigh-vacuum glass cell with eight electrodes

Abstract

Quantum computing and quantum simulation with ultracold neutral atoms require Rydberg excitation of individual atoms in atomic arrays. Rydberg states are extremely sensitive to external electric fields, therefore precise three-dimensional control of the electric field is essential. We performed a spectroscopic study of three-photon Rydberg excitation of a single Rb atom in an optical dipole trap in the presence of an external DC electric field. The field was generated by eight electrodes deposited on the inner surfaces of an ultrahigh-vacuum glass cell. The used three-photon scheme of laser excitation of Rydberg \textit{nP} states allows the Stark shift and the splitting of the resonances to be observed simultaneously, which simplifies calibration of the electric field. In addition, in the commonly used two-photon Rydberg excitation schemes, the light shifts can complicate accurate determination of the DC Stark shift, particularly when the external electric field is scanned across different spatial directions, and different Stark components are excited. These shifts are absent in the three-photon excitation scheme used in our experiment. We demonstrated the ability to independently tune the electric field along all three spatial directions and to compensate for stray electric fields. The measured three-photon spectra exhibit Stark shifts and splittings of the three-photon resonance that are in good agreement with theoretical calculations. These results are also of interest for Rydberg electrometry.