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arXiv:2501.02820 · IEEE Transactions on Vehicular Technology

Rydberg Atomic Quantum Receivers for Multi-Target DOA Estimation

Tierui Gong, Chau Yuen, Chong Meng Samson See, Merouane Abdelkader Debbah, Lajos Hanzo

Published Dec 17, 2025• 14 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Quantum sensing technologies have experienced rapid progresses since entering the ‘second quantum revolution’. Among various candidates, schemes relying on Rydberg atoms exhibit compelling advantages for detecting radio frequency signals. Based on this, Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have emerged as a promising solution to classical wireless communication and sensing. To harness the advantages and exploit the potential of RAQRs in wireless sensing, we investigate the realization of the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation by RAQRs. Specifically, we first conceive a Rydberg atomic quantum uniform linear array (RAQ-ULA) aided wireless receiver for multi-target DOA detection and propose the corresponding signal model of this sensing system. Our model reveals that the presence of the radio-frequency local oscillator in the RAQ-ULA creates sensor gain mismatches, which degrade the DOA estimation significantly by employing the classical Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariant Techniques (ESPRIT). To solve this sensor gain mismatch problem, we propose the Rydberg atomic quantum ESPRIT (RAQ-ESPRIT) relying on our model. Lastly, we characterize our scheme through numerical simulations, where the results exhibit that it is capable of reducing the estimation error of its classical counterpart on the order of >$400$- fold and >$9000$- fold in the PSL and SQL, respectively.

DOI
10.1109/tvt.2025.3644954

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Quantum sensing technologies have experienced rapid progresses since entering the ‘second quantum revolution’. Among various candidates, schemes relying on Rydberg atoms exhibit compelling advantages for detecting radio frequency signals. Based on this, Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have emerged as a promising solution to classical wireless communication and sensing. To harness the advantages and exploit the potential of RAQRs in wireless sensing, we investigate the realization of the direction of arrival (DOA) estimation by RAQRs. Specifically, we first conceive a Rydberg atomic quantum uniform linear array (RAQ-ULA) aided wireless receiver for multi-target DOA detection and propose the corresponding signal model of this sensing system. Our model reveals that the presence of the radio-frequency local oscillator in the RAQ-ULA creates sensor gain mismatches, which degrade the DOA estimation significantly by employing the classical Estimation of Signal Parameters via Rotational Invariant Techniques (ESPRIT). To solve this sensor gain mismatch problem, we propose the Rydberg atomic quantum ESPRIT (RAQ-ESPRIT) relying on our model. Lastly, we characterize our scheme through numerical simulations, where the results exhibit that it is capable of reducing the estimation error of its classical counterpart on the order of >400400400- fold and >900090009000- fold in the PSL and SQL, respectively.
The significant progress of quantum sensing technologies offer numerous radical solutions for measuring a multitude of physical quantities at an unprecedented precision. Among them, Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) emerge as an eminent solution for detecting the electric field of radio frequency (RF) signals, exhibiting great potential in assisting classical wireless communications and sensing. So far, most experimental studies have aimed for the proof of physical concepts to reveal its promise, while the practical signal model of RAQR-aided wireless communications and sensing remained under-explored. Furthermore, the performance of RAQR-based wireless receivers and their advantages over classical RF receivers have not been fully characterized. To fill these gaps, we introduce the RAQR to the wireless community by presenting an end-to-end reception scheme. We then develop a corresponding equivalent baseband signal model relying on a realistic reception flow. Our scheme and model provide explicit design guidance to RAQR-aided wireless systems. We next study the performance of RAQR-aided wireless systems based on our model, and compare them to classical RF receivers. The results show that Doppler broadening-free RAQRs are capable of achieving a substantial received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) gain of over 27 decibel (dB) and 40 dB in the photon shot limit and standard quantum limit regimes, respectively.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) are emerging quantum precision sensing platforms designed for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals. It relies on the creation of Rydberg atoms from normal atoms by exciting one or more electrons to a very high energy level, thereby making the atom sensitive to RF signals. RAQRs realize RF-to-optical conversions based on atom-light interactions relying on the so-called electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler- Townes splitting (ATS) so that the desired RF signal can be read out optically. The large dipole moments of Rydberg atoms associated with rich choices of Rydberg states facilitate an ultra-high sensitivity (~nv⁄cm/√Hz) and an ultra-broadband tunability (direct-current to Terahertz). RAQRs also exhibit compelling scalability and lend themselves to the construction of innovative, compact receivers. Initial experimental studies have demonstrated their capabilities in classical wireless communications and sensing. To fully harness their potential in a wide variety of applications, we commence by outlining the underlying fundamentals of Rydberg atoms, followed by the principles and schemes of RAQRs. Then, we overview the state-of-the-art studies from both physics and communication societies. Furthermore, we conceive Rydberg atomic quantum single-input single-output (RAQ-SISO) and multiple-input multiple- output (RAQ-MIMO) schemes to facilitate the integration of RAQRs with classical wireless systems. Finally, we conclude with a set of potent research directions.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) emerge as a radical solution for detecting radio frequency (RF) signals, showing great potential in assisting classical wireless communications and sensing. However, the current studies of RAQRs mainly focus on realizing fundamental functionalities via experiments, where the results cannot be readily harnessed for assisting wireless communications and sensing. Moreover, the advantages of RAQR-based wireless receivers have not been fully characterized. To fill the gap, we introduce the superheterodyne version of RAQRs and present the associated end-to-end transmission scheme. We then develop a corresponding end-to-end equivalent baseband signal model relying on a realistic transmission flow. Our scheme and model provide explicit design guidance for RAQR-aided wireless systems. We finally verify the effectiveness of the proposed signal model with respect to the waveform of the photodetector, input-output relationship (transfer function), and the normalized mean-squared error between the nonlinear transfer function and its linear approximation.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) are capable of receiving multi-band radio-frequency (RF) signals simultaneously, which are expected to break Chu's limit for classical electronic antennas. However, signals from different users will interfere with each other in the optical intermediate frequency (IF) domain of the multi-band quantum receiver, which is termed the IF interference (IFI) problem. To address this problem, in this paper, we propose a multi-input multi-output (MIMO) architecture for Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (RAQ-MIMO) by exploiting the additional spatial diversity of MIMO receivers. Specifically, by applying the dynamic signal model of RAQRs, we clarify the physical relationship between the quantum local oscillator (LO) configurations and the multi-band gains with the concept of quantum transconductance. Then, with the quantum transconductance-based signal model, we formulate the spectral efficiency (SE) maximization problem and further propose the quantum weighted minimum mean square error (qWMMSE) algorithm, which jointly optimizes the quantum LO configurations and the classical precoder/combiner matrices. Furthermore, we test the qWMMSE algorithm within the standard space division multiple access (SDMA) scheme and the frequency division multiple access (FDMA) scheme. Simulation results demonstrate that the qWMMSE optimization framework can significantly improve the SE of RAQ-MIMO systems for both multiple access schemes, and that RAQ-MIMO systems can outperform classical electronic receiver-based multi-user MIMO systems by eliminating the mutual coupling effect between classical antennas.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have emerged as a promising solution for evolving wireless receivers from the classical to the quantum domain. To further unleash their great potential in wireless communications, we propose a flexible architecture for Rydberg atomic quantum multiple-input multiple-output (RAQ-MIMO) receivers in the multi-user uplink. Then the corresponding signal model of the RAQ-MIMO system is constructed by paving the way from quantum physics to classical wireless communications. Explicitly, we outline the associated operating principles and transmission flow. We also validate the linearity of our model and its feasible region. Based on our model, we derive closed-form asymptotic formulas for the ergodic achievable rate (EAR) of both the maximum-ratio combining (MRC) and zero-forcing (ZF) receivers operating in uncorrelated fading channels (UFC) and the correlated fading channels (CFC), as well as in the standard quantum limit (SQL) and photon shot limit (PSL) regimes, respectively. Furthermore, we unveil that the EAR scales logarithmically without bound with the product of effective number NatomN_{\text{atom}}Natom​ and coherence time T2T_2T2​ of the atomic ensemble in the SQL regime, but exhibits non-monotonic trade-off between the collective atomic enhancement and optical-depth-dependent attenuation in the PSL regime. More particularly, the transmit power of users can be scaled down quadratically with NatomτN_{\text{atom}} τNatom​τ, τ∈{T2,C(Ωℓ)Ap}τ\in \{ T_2, \frac{ {\cal C} (Ω_{\ell}) }{A_p} \}τ∈{T2​,Ap​C(Ωℓ​)​}, but the EAR per user retains fixed, by increasing NatomN_{\text{atom}}Natom​ while retaining the sensor number M∝NatomτM \propto N_{\text{atom}} τM∝Natom​τ in the SQL regime or M∝exp⁡(NatomχˉAp)M \propto \exp \big( \frac{N_{\text{atom}} {\bar χ}}{A_p} \big)M∝exp(Ap​Natom​χˉ​​) in the PSL regime....
The intrinsic integration of Rydberg atomic receivers into wireless communication systems is proposed, by harnessing the principles of quantum physics in wireless communications. More particularly, we conceive a pair of Rydberg atomic receivers, one incorporates a local oscillator (LO), referred to as an LO-dressed receiver, while the other operates without an LO and is termed an LO-free receiver. The appropriate wireless model is developed for each configuration, elaborating on the receiver's responses to the radio frequency (RF) signal, on the potential noise sources, and on the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) performance. The developed wireless model conforms to the classical RF framework, facilitating compatibility with established signal processing methodologies. Next, we investigate the associated distortion effects that might occur, specifically identifying the conditions under which distortion arises and demonstrating the boundaries of linear dynamic ranges. This provides critical insights into its practical implementations in wireless systems. Finally, extensive simulation results are provided for characterizing the performance of wireless systems, harnessing this pair of Rydberg atomic receivers. Our results demonstrate that LO-dressed systems achieve a significant SNR gain of approximately 40~50 dB over conventional RF receivers in the standard quantum limit regime. This SNR head-room translates into reduced symbol error rates, enabling efficient and reliable transmission with higher-order constellations.