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arXiv:2512.16867

Electric field diagnostics in a continuous rf plasma using Rydberg-EIT

Bineet Dash, Xinyan Xiang, Dingkun Feng, Eric Paradis, Georg Raithel

physics.atom-phphysics.plasm-phquant-phSubmitted Dec 18, 2025• Announced Dec 19, 2025
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Abstract

We present a non-invasive spectroscopic technique to measure electric fields in plasma, leveraging large polarizabilities and Stark shifts of Rydberg atoms. Rydberg Stark shifts are measured with high precision using narrow-linewidth lasers via Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) of rubidium vapor seeded into a continuous, inductively coupled radio-frequency (rf) plasma in a few mTorr of argon gas. Without plasma, the Rydberg-EIT spectra exhibit rf modulation sidebands caused by electric- and magnetic-dipole transitions in the rf drive coil. With the plasma present, the rf modulation sidebands vanish due to screening of the rf drive field from the plasma interior. The lineshapes of the EIT spectra in the plasma reflect the plasma's Holtsmark microfield distribution, allowing us to determine plasma density and collisional line broadening over a range of pressures and rf drive powers. The work is expected to have applications in non-invasive spatio-temporal electric-field diagnostics of low-pressure plasma, plasma sheaths, process plasma and dusty plasma.

Comments
9 pages, 5 figures

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We present a non-invasive spectroscopic technique to measure electric fields in plasma, leveraging large polarizabilities and Stark shifts of Rydberg atoms. Rydberg Stark shifts are measured with high precision using narrow-linewidth lasers via Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) of rubidium vapor seeded into a continuous, inductively coupled radio-frequency (rf) plasma in a few mTorr of argon gas. Without plasma, the Rydberg-EIT spectra exhibit rf modulation sidebands caused by electric- and magnetic-dipole transitions in the rf drive coil. With the plasma present, the rf modulation sidebands vanish due to screening of the rf drive field from the plasma interior. The lineshapes of the EIT spectra in the plasma reflect the plasma's Holtsmark microfield distribution, allowing us to determine plasma density and collisional line broadening over a range of pressures and rf drive powers. The work is expected to have applications in non-invasive spatio-temporal electric-field diagnostics of low-pressure plasma, plasma sheaths, process plasma and dusty plasma.
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The large electric dipole moment of the Rydberg atom allows for strong coupling with weak electric fields, and is widely used in electric field measurements because of its reproducibility, precision and stability. The combination of Rydberg atoms and electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) technology has been used for detecting and characterizing radio-frequency (RF) electric fields. In this work, by selecting probe light (852 nm), dressed light (1470 nm), and coupled light (780 nm), the Rydberg state (49P3/2) of Cs atom is prepared by using a three-photon excitation scheme through using all-infrared light excitation of Rydberg atoms. We experimentally observe the EIT spectra of the Rydberg states decorated by radio-frequency electric fields, which optically detects Rydberg atoms. The effect of the amplitude and frequency of the RF electric field on the spectrum is explored in light of changes in the EIT spectrum. The results show that in the region of weak electric field, only the ac Stark energy shift and spectral broadening occur. As the electric field is further enhanced, the sideband phenomenon occurs in both the primary peak and secondary peak of the EIT. In the region of strong field, the Rydberg energy level produces a series of Floquet states with higher-order terms, as well as state shifting and mixing, resulting in asymmetry in the spectra of the EIT sideband peaks. The effect of frequency on the shielding effect of the Cs vapor cell is further discussed based on the shift of the main peak of the EIT. The demodulation of the electric field in a range of 50 Hz–1 kHz with a fidelity of 95% is achieved by modulating the low-frequency electric field to the RF electric field. The results can provide valuable references for spectral detection and traceable measurements of low-frequency electric fields.
We introduce an all-optical quantum-enhanced diagnostic for electric fields in low-temperature plasmas. Trace amounts of rubidium vapor, added to an argon plasma, allow us to employ spectrally narrow electric field-sensitive optical resonances via the quantum optical effect of Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency. This non-invasive technique enables measurements of electric fields in plasma with a 1~V/cm precision and a 1.5~V/cm lower detection limit. By collecting the fluorescence from the illuminated region of interest, we reconstruct a 2D spatial profile of the electric field magnitude with 56 μ56~μ56 μm resolution. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we measured the changes in the electric field within the plasma sheath surrounding a biased Langmuir probe tip. This method holds significant potential for studying sheath structures in low-temperature plasmas.
Rydberg-assisted atomic electrometry with thermal vapors offers a promising approach for detecting external electric fields. However, this technique presents significant challenges for measuring low frequencies due to the effects of metal-alkali atoms adsorbed on the interior surface of the vacuum chamber. In this work, we apply high-contrast Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectroscopy to systematically investigate these effects, including the influence of laser power and electric field strength. We demonstrate the ability to measure electric field frequencies ranging from 10 Hz to 1 MHz. Additionally, this study identifies a fundamental limit for data capacity in such measurements. Furthermore, we propose a method for precise Stark shift measurements by locking the coupling laser to Zeeman-split Rydberg EIT peaks. Using the Zeeman shift in a reference cell as a stable frequency reference, we are able to track Stark-induced shifts in a science cell and confirm excellent agreement with theoretical predictions. These results provide valuable insights for future precision measurement techniques and field sensing applications based on Rydberg atom systems.
Motivated by an interest in measuring electric fields in low-pressure noble-gas discharge plasmas and in dusty plasmas via noninvasive Stark-effect spectroscopy, we investigate Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of 85Rb{}^{85}\mathrm{Rb}85Rb atomic vapor in a glass cell that contains a 5-Torr neon buffer gas. We find that at low probe power the Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne buffer gas induces a positive frequency shift of the Rydberg-EIT lines of about 70 MHz as well as a broadening of about 120 MHz, with minimal dependence on the principal quantum number of the Rydberg states. The EIT line shift predominantly is a sum of a positive term from sss-wave scattering between the Rydberg electron and the Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne atoms, and a negative term from the polarization of the Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne atoms within the Rydberg atom. The polarization shift is lesser in magnitude, resulting in the observed net positive shift. The line broadening is largely due to the Ne\mathrm{Ne}Ne polarization. Our experimental results are in good qualitative agreement with our theoretical model, in which the shift is linear in buffer-gas density. Our results suggest that Rydberg EIT is suitable for noninvasive measurement of electric fields in buffer-gas cells that sustain a plasma discharge, and that it can serve as a direct spectroscopic probe for buffer-gas density at low pressure.