Researchers at the 5th Institute of Physics of the University of Stuttgart report achieving a factor of 20 increase in the lifetime of Rydberg atoms, overcoming a major hurdle in developing high-performance quantum simulators. These Rydberg atoms, several thousand times larger than normal atoms can interact over distances of 5 µm, a “huge distance in the tiny world of atoms” despite being only one-tenth the thickness of a human hair.
“One major challenge in developing high-performance quantum simulators was that Rydberg atoms are highly sensitive and remain stable for only a short time,” says Prof. Tilman Pfau, head; the team simultaneously set international records for lifetime, size, and storage time while operating at room temperature.
Rydberg Atom Stability Breakthroughs: Lifetime, Size, and Storage Records
Dr. Florian Meinert’s apparatus suppresses interfering blackbody radiation, enabling the creation of extremely long-lived Rydberg atoms at room temperature, a feat previously requiring costly liquid helium cooling. These circular Rydberg atoms, with electrons orbiting in stable paths, represent a step toward more robust quantum systems, according to the research team. “We set three international records at once: the longest lifetime ever measured for individual Rydberg atoms, the largest controlled circular Rydberg atoms, and the longest storage time for such atoms in optical tweezers,” said Meinert, group leader.
Neutral atoms held in optical tweezers are considered a leading platform for building scalable quantum simulators, and the increased lifetime of these Rydberg atoms directly impacts their potential. Preserving quantum information for extended periods and precisely controlling interactions between atoms are critical for complex computations, and the Stuttgart team’s results address both challenges.
Artistic depictions show these Rydberg atoms precisely trapped and arranged into controlled arrays using the optical tweezers, demonstrating a level of manipulation essential for advanced quantum processing. “These advances could play an important role in the development of quantum simulators and quantum computers,” stated Tilman Pfau, head.
The team’s refinement of a physical concept from the 1980s allows for these record-breaking results even at room temperature, broadening the accessibility of this technology. This increased longevity and control open up new possibilities for building more powerful quantum simulators, performing more complex calculations, and ultimately, achieving greater precision in controlling quantum systems, according to the researchers.
Our results show that extremely long-lived Rydberg atoms are possible even at room temperature. We have refined a well-known concept in physics for use in modern quantum platforms.
Dr. Florian Meinert, group leader at the 5th Institute of Physics
Circular Rydberg Atoms Enabled by Room-Temperature Shielding
Maintaining stable circular orbits within Rydberg atoms for 11 milliseconds represents a more than 20-fold increase in lifetime compared to similar states in free space, a feat accomplished without the need for costly liquid helium cooling. Researchers at the University of Stuttgart achieved this room-temperature stability by compelling the highly excited electron into a circular path, a configuration that resists typical decay mechanisms.
These Rydberg atoms, with electron orbits approximately 1.1 µm in diameter, are roughly 10,000 times larger than those found in ordinary atoms, facilitating stronger interactions between individual units over distances of 5 µm, about one-tenth the thickness of a human hair. The team also sustained the trapped atoms using a laser beam for 133 milliseconds, establishing another international record. This extended stability is important for building more effective quantum simulators and computers because preserving quantum information for longer periods minimizes errors during computation.
The 5th Institute of Physics intends to develop advanced quantum computers, simulators, and high-precision quantum sensors using this platform, expanding the potential applications of this technology beyond fundamental research. Florian Meinert of the 5th Institute of Physics notes the significance of achieving these results at room temperature, removing a major barrier to wider adoption and practical implementation of Rydberg atom-based quantum technologies. The findings, published in Pultinevicius, E., Götzelmann, A., Thielemann, F. Nat Commun 17, 9834 (2026), detail the methods used to create and sustain these long-lived circular Rydberg atoms.
One major challenge in developing high-performance quantum simulators was that Rydberg atoms are highly sensitive and remain stable for only a short time. We overcame this challenge and increased the stability of the atoms by a factor of 20.
Prof. Tilman Pfau, head of the 5th Institute of Physics
This extended trapping time, accomplished with a laser beam, establishes an international record and significantly enhances the potential for building more complex quantum systems.
These advances could play an important role in the development of quantum simulators and quantum computers.
Prof. Tilman Pfau, head of the 5th Institute of Physics
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