A microwave dressed Rydberg ion

Trapped Rydberg ions are a promising new platform for quantum computation and simulation. They combine the exquisite control of trapped ion systems with the strong dipole-dipole interactions available in Rydberg atom systems. In order to realize strong interactions between Rydberg ions, microwave dressing is required to induce strong oscillating dipoles. Additionally, microwave dressing of Rydberg states with polarizabilities of opposite sign allows for the realization of Rydberg states with vanishing polarizability. Such states are insensitive to external electric fields and can be trapped independently of their state. Vanishing-polarizability Rydberg states allow for implementing Rydberg entangling gates in large ion crystals