Photonic phase-gate using Rydberg atoms and microwaves

In this work we propose a hybrid scheme using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and the dipole blockade between Rydberg atoms and their interactions with microwave fields. This scheme makes use of the spatial properties of the blockade phenomenon to realize a controlled-z, photonic phase gate which works with all fields on resonance, where the maximal efficiency is accessible. Photons of the control and target qubits are stored in a cold atomic medium by means of EIT and processed therein with a microwave field. Not taking into account coupling efficiency, which can be over ~90% per-channel, estimated processing fidelities exceeding 90% are achievable, even taking into account motional dephasing and the finite lifetime of the Rydberg levels.