Optical nonlinearity in a strongly interacting Rydberg atom ensemble

[2608.15072] Optical nonlinearity in a strongly interacting Rydberg atom ensemble Skip to main content Search Submit Donate Log in Search arXiv Press Enter to search · Advanced search Physics > Optics arXiv:2608.15072 (physics) [Submitted on 15 Aug 2026] Title: Optical nonlinearity in a strongly interacting Rydberg atom ensemble Authors: Lu Qin , Zeyun Shi , Xingdong Zhao , Weibin Li , Guoxiang Huang View a PDF of the paper titled Optical nonlinearity in a strongly interacting Rydberg atom ensemble, by Lu Qin and 4 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) Abstract: Rydberg atoms, characterized by their giant polarizability and strong long-range interactions, provide an ideal platform for exploring optical nonlinearities. By coupling light to ensembles of Rydberg atoms, one can map the strong and nonlocal interactions between Rydberg atoms and light fields. A particularly important scheme for realizing such nonlinearity is electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). This article presents a review of the research progress in nonlinear optics based on Rydberg-EIT systems, particularly nonlinear light propagation in Rydberg atomic gases. We first introduce the fundamental properties of Rydberg atoms and the physical mechanism of EIT-enhanced nonlinearity, emphasizing how the Rydberg blockade effect endows the system with a giant nonlocal Kerr nonlinearity. Subsequently, we discuss some typical nonlinear optical phenomena in such a system with focusing and defocusing nonlocal nonlinearities. In the focusing regime, we discuss spatial solitons, vortex solitons, soliton cloning, soliton molecules, optical bullets, and self-induced transparency solitons. Other topics are also discussed. In the defocusing regime, we analyze pattern formation and shock wave dynamics. Finally, we provide an outlook on the future development of this field toward quantum control, hybrid-system integration, and novel functional devices. Comments: 35 pages, 17 figures Subjects: Optics (physics.optics) Cite as: arXiv:2608.15072 [physics.optics] (or arXiv:2608.15072v1 [physics.optics] for this version) https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.15072 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite Submission history From: Lu Qin [ view email ] [v1] Sat, 15 Aug 2026 06:45:28 UTC (10,234 KB) Full-text links: Access Paper: View a PDF of the paper titled Optical nonlinearity in a strongly interacting Rydberg atom ensemble, by Lu Qin and 4 other authors View PDF HTML (experimental) TeX Source view license Current browse context: physics.optics < prev | next > new | recent | 2026-08 Change to browse by: physics References & Citations NASA ADS Google Scholar Semantic Scholar export BibTeX citation Loading... BibTeX formatted citation × loading... Data provided by: Bookmark Bibliographic Tools Bibliographic and Citation Tools Bibliographic Explorer Toggle Bibliographic Explorer ( What is the Explorer? ) Connected Papers Toggle Connected Papers ( What is Connected Papers? ) Litmaps Toggle Litmaps ( What is Litmaps? ) scite.ai Toggle scite Smart Citations ( What are Smart Citations? ) Code, Data, Media Code, Data and Media Associated with this Article alphaXiv Toggle alphaXiv ( What is alphaXiv? ) Links to Code Toggle CatalyzeX Code Finder for Papers ( What is CatalyzeX? ) DagsHub Toggle DagsHub ( What is DagsHub? ) GotitPub Toggle Gotit.pub ( What is GotitPub? ) Huggingface Toggle Hugging Face ( What is Huggingface? ) ScienceCast Toggle ScienceCast ( What is ScienceCast? ) Demos Demos Replicate Toggle Replicate ( What is Replicate? ) Spaces Toggle Hugging Face Spaces ( What is Spaces? ) Spaces Toggle TXYZ.AI ( What is TXYZ.AI? ) Related Papers Recommenders and Search Tools Link to Influence Flower Influence Flower ( What are Influence Flowers? ) Core recommender toggle CORE Recommender ( What is CORE? ) Author Venue Institution Topic About arXivLabs arXivLabs: experimental projects with community collaborators arXivLabs is a framework that allows collaborators to develop and share new arXiv features directly on our website. Both individuals and organizations that work with arXivLabs have embraced and accepted our values of openness, community, excellence, and user data privacy. arXiv is committed to these values and only works with partners that adhere to them. Have an idea for a project that will add value for arXiv's community? Learn more about arXivLabs . Which authors of this paper are endorsers? | Disable MathJax ( What is MathJax? ) We gratefully acknowledge support from our major funders , member institutions , , and all contributors. About · Help · Contact · Subscribe · Copyright · Privacy · Accessibility · Operational Status (opens in new tab) Major funding support from

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