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arXiv:2310.10542 · Physical Review Research

High-angular-momentum Rydberg states in a room-temperature vapor cell for dc electric-field sensing

Alisher Duspayev, Ryan Cardman, David Alexander Anderson, Georg A. Raithel

Published May 7, 2024• 23 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We prepare and analyze Rydberg states with orbital quantum numbers ℓ≤6 using three-optical-photon electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and radio frequency (rf) dressing, and employ the high- ℓ states in electric-field sensing. Rubidium-85 atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell are first promoted into the 25F5/2 state via Rydberg-EIT with three infrared laser beams. Two rf dressing fields then (near-)resonantly couple the 25F, 25H(ℓ=5) , and 25I(ℓ=6) Rydberg states. The dependence of the rf-dressed Rydberg-state level structure on rf powers, rf and laser frequencies is characterized using EIT. Furthermore, we discuss the principles of dc-electric-field sensing using high- ℓ Rydberg states and experimentally demonstrate the method using test electric fields of ≲50 V/m induced via photo-illumination of the vapor-cell wall. We measure the highly nonlinear dependence of the dc-electric-field strength on the power of the photo-illumination laser. Numerical calculations, which reproduce our experimental observations well, elucidate the underlying physics. Our paper is relevant to high-precision spectroscopy of high- ℓ Rydberg states, Rydberg-atom-based electric-field sensing, and plasma electric-field diagnostics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

DOI
10.1103/physrevresearch.6.023138

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We prepare and analyze Rydberg states with orbital quantum numbers ℓ≤6 using three-optical-photon electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and radio frequency (rf) dressing, and employ the high- ℓ states in electric-field sensing. Rubidium-85 atoms in a room-temperature vapor cell are first promoted into the 25F5/2 state via Rydberg-EIT with three infrared laser beams. Two rf dressing fields then (near-)resonantly couple the 25F, 25H(ℓ=5) , and 25I(ℓ=6) Rydberg states. The dependence of the rf-dressed Rydberg-state level structure on rf powers, rf and laser frequencies is characterized using EIT. Furthermore, we discuss the principles of dc-electric-field sensing using high- ℓ Rydberg states and experimentally demonstrate the method using test electric fields of ≲50 V/m induced via photo-illumination of the vapor-cell wall. We measure the highly nonlinear dependence of the dc-electric-field strength on the power of the photo-illumination laser. Numerical calculations, which reproduce our experimental observations well, elucidate the underlying physics. Our paper is relevant to high-precision spectroscopy of high- ℓ Rydberg states, Rydberg-atom-based electric-field sensing, and plasma electric-field diagnostics. Published by the American Physical Society 2024
We measure strong radio-frequency (RF) electric fields using rubidium Rydberg atoms prepared in a room-temperature vapor cell as field sensors. Electromagnetically induced transparency is employed as an optical readout. We RF-modulate the and Rydberg states with 50 and 100 MHz fields, respectively. For weak to moderate RF fields, the Rydberg levels become Stark-shifted, and sidebands appear at even multiples of the driving frequency. In high fields, the adjacent hydrogenic manifold begins to intersect the shifted levels, providing rich spectroscopic structure suitable for precision field measurements. A quantitative description of strong-field level modulation and mixing of S and D states with hydrogenic states is provided by Floquet theory. Additionally, we estimate the shielding of DC electric fields in the interior of the glass vapor cell.
We study Rydberg atoms modulated by strong radio-frequency (rf) fields with a frequency of 70 MHz. The Rydberg atoms are prepared in a room-temperature cesium cell, and their level structure is probed using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). As the rf field increases from the weak- into the strong-field regime, the range of observed rf-induced phenomena progresses from ac level shifts through increasingly pronounced and numerous rf modulation sidebands to complex state mixing and level crossings with $\mathrm{high}\ensuremath{-}l$ hydrogenlike states. Weak anharmonic admixtures in the rf field generate clearly visible modifications in the Rydberg EIT spectra. A Floquet analysis is employed to model the Rydberg spectra, and good agreement with the experimental observations is found. Our results show that all-optical spectroscopy of Rydberg atoms in vapor cells can serve as an antenna-free, atom-based, and calibration-free technique to measure rf electric fields and to analyze their higher-harmonic contents.
A Rydberg atom is a special type of atom characterized by a high principal quantum number. Electric field sensors based on Rydberg atoms have received widespread attention due to their high polarizability. However, there is currently little research on the use of Rydberg atoms for direct current (DC) or low-frequency electric fields, mainly due to the shielding effect of atomic vapor cells in low-frequency electric fields, which makes accurate measurement of the electric fields extremely challenging. In this paper, we construct a Rydberg ladder configuration by using probe laser at 852 nm and coupling laser at 510 nm in a room-temperature cesium vapor cell with integrated electrode plates, thereby enabling the realizing of a Floquet-EIT (electromagnetically induced transparency) spectrum dressed by a radio frequency (RF) field in the presence of a DC electric field. We further study the influence of DC electric field on spectral characteristic. Experimentally, it is observed that when only the RF electric field is applied, the EIT spectrum displays solely even-order sidebands. Furthermore, when both the RF field and the DC electric field are simultaneously present, the first-order sideband signal of the Floquet-EIT is observed. As the intensity of the DC electric field increases, the amplitude of the first-order sideband gradually increases. However, increasing the DC electric field to a sufficient magnitude induces sideband interference, which leads the sideband amplitudes to decrease. Furthermore, increasing the RF frequency can alleviate the interference effects induced by the DC electric field on the first-order sideband. Finally, comparing the relative standard deviation of the sideband amplitudes of the Floquet-EIT spectra with the frequency shifts of the DC-Stark spectra under weak DC electric fields, we find that the measurement accuracy of the former is significantly superior to that of the latter. This work makes use of a Cs atomic vapor cell with an integrated electrode to avoid shielding effects. By observing Floquet-EIT spectra, the response of the spectra to DC electric fields is investigated. This experiment provides novel insights into the quantum sensing measurements of DC and low-frequency electric fields.
Optical detection of Rydberg states using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) enables continuous measurement of electric fields in a confined geometry. In this paper, we demonstrate the formation of radio frequency (rf)-dressed EIT resonances in a thermal Rb vapour and show that such states exhibit enhanced sensitivity to dc electric fields compared to their bare counterparts. Fitting the corresponding EIT profile enables precise measurements of the dc field independent of laser frequency fluctuations. Our results suggest that space charges within the enclosed cell reduce electric field inhomogeneities within the interaction region.
Rydberg atoms efficiently link photons between the radio-frequency (rf) and optical domains. They furnish a medium in which the presence of an rf field imprints on the transmission of a probe laser beam by altering the coherent coupling between atomic quantum states. The immutable atomic energy structure underpins quantum-metrological rf-field measurements and has driven intensive efforts to realize inherently self-calibrated sensing devices. Here, we investigate spectroscopic signatures owing to the quantization of atomic angular momentum. Using an electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) sensing scheme, specific combinations of atomic terms are shown to give rise to universal, distinctive fingerprints in the detected optical fields upon rotating a linearly polarized rf field. Employing a dressed state picture, we identify two types of atomic angular momentum ladders that display strikingly disparate spectroscopic characteristics, including the distinctive absence or presence of a central spectral EIT peak. Our study adds important insights into the prospects of Rydberg atomic gases for quantum-metrological electric field characterization including polarimetry. In particular, it calls into question prevailing interpretations of SI-traceable Rydberg atom electrometers.
We investigate and employ optical Rydberg resonances in an atomic vapor cell for measurements of high-intensity VHF-band radio frequency (rf) electric fields. An atomic vapor cell with integrated electrodes is used to generate high-intensity 50--500 MHz rf electric fields reaching $\ensuremath{\sim}5$ kV/m in a submillimeter gap. The fields are measured using Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency as an optical readout of field-sensitive 30DJ30{D}_{J}30DJ​ and 35DJ35{D}_{J}35DJ​ Rydberg states of atoms within the gap. The rf electric field is determined by matching observed spectroscopic markers, including ac level shifts, even-harmonic rf sidebands, and rf-induced avoided crossings in the Rydberg manifold to calculated spectra derived from a nonperturbative Floquet theory. In our measurements, rf field frequencies and electric-field amplitudes are determined to an accuracy of 1.01.0%1.0 and 1.51.5%1.5, respectively. In the atom-field interaction, we observe a transition from a quantum regime, characterized by discrete even-harmonic Floquet states separated by an even multiple of the rf field frequency, into a semiclassical regime at very strong fields, in which the spectrum exhibits unresolved resonances whose strengths are smoothly modulated at a frequency of approximately five times the rf frequency. The underlying physics is explored.