Electromagnetically Induced Transparency in strongly interacting Rydberg Gases

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We develop an efficient Monte-Carlo approach to describe the optical response of cold three-level atoms in the presence of EIT and strong atomic interactions. In particular, we consider a "Rydberg-EIT medium" where one involved level is subject to large shifts due to strong van der Waals interactions with surrounding Rydberg atoms. We find excellent agreement with much more involved quantum calculations and demonstrate its applicability over a wide range of densities and interaction strengths. The calculations show that the nonlinear absorption due to Rydberg-Rydberg atom interactions exhibits universal behavior.