Microwave dressing of Rydberg dark states

We study electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in the 5s→5p→46s ladder system of a cold 87Rb gas. We show that the resonant microwave coupling between the 46s and 45p states leads to an Autler-Townes splitting of the EIT resonance. This splitting can be employed to vary the group index by ±105 allowing independent control of the propagation of dark state polaritons. We also demonstrate that microwave dressing leads to enhanced interaction effects. In particular, we present evidence for a 1/R3 energy shift between Rydberg states resonantly coupled by the microwave field and the ensuing breakdown of the pairwise interaction approximation.