Quantum sensing protocol for motionally chiral Rydberg atoms

A quantum sensing protocol is proposed for demonstrating the motion-induced chirality of circularly polarised Rydberg atoms. To this end, a cloud of Rydberg atoms is dressed by a bichromatic light field. This allows to exploit the long-lived ground states for implementing a Ramsey interferometer in conjunction with a spin echo pulse sequence for refocussing achiral interactions. Optimal parameters for the dressing lasers are identified. Combining a circularly polarised dipole transition in the Rydberg atom with atomic centre-of-mass motion, the system becomes chiral. The resulting discriminatory chiral energy shifts induced by a chiral mirror are estimated using a macroscopic quantum electrodynamics approach. The presented quantum sensing protocol will also provide an indirect proof for Casimir-Polder quantum friction.

Automated summary

A quantum sensing protocol is proposed to demonstrate the motion-induced chirality of circularly polarised Rydberg atoms by using a bichromatic light field to dress a cloud of Rydberg atoms. The system becomes chiral by combining a circularly polarised dipole transition in the Rydberg atom with atomic centre-of-mass motion. The discriminatory chiral energy shifts induced by a chiral mirror are estimated using a macroscopic quantum electrodynamics approach, and the protocol will also provide indirect evidence for Casimir-Polder quantum friction.