Collective strong coupling with ion Coulomb crystals in an optical cavity

Cavity Quantum Electrodynamics (CQED) is an attractive platform for the realization of efficient light-matter quantum interfaces at the single photon level. Such interfaces are key elements for the development of quantum information and communication science due to the need for swapping information between flying and stationary qubits. Here, we report on the first CQED demonstration of collective strong coupling between atomic ions in a solid in the form of an ion Coulomb crystal and an optical field.