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An ensemble of excited atoms can synchronize emission of light collectivelyin a process known as superradiance when its characteristic size is smallerthan the wavelength of emitted photons. The underlying superradiance dependsstrongly on electromagnetic (photon) fields surrounding the atomic ensemble.High mode densities of microwave photons from $300\,$K blackbody radiation(BBR) significantly enhance decay rates of Rydberg states to neighbouringstates, enabling superradiance that is not possible with bare vacuum inducedspontaneous decay. Here we report observations of the superradiance ofultracold Rydberg atoms embedded in a bath of room-temperature photons. Thetemporal evolution of the Rydberg $|nD\rangle$ to $|(n+1)P\rangle$ superradiantdecay of Cs atoms ($n$ the principal quantum number) is measured directly infree space. Theoretical simulations confirm the BBR enhanced superradiance inlarge Rydberg ensembles. We demonstrate that the van der Waals interactionsbetween Rydberg atoms change the superradiant dynamics and modify the scalingof the superradiance. In the presence of static electric fields, we find thatthe superradiance becomes slow, potentially due to many-body interactioninduced dephasing. Our study provides insights into many-body dynamics ofinteracting atoms coupled to thermal BBR, and might open a route to the designof blackbody thermometry at microwave frequencies via collective, dissipativephoton-atom interactions.

Observation of Blackbody Radiation Enhanced Superradiance in ultracold Rydberg Gases