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arXiv:2604.12106

Hybrid Six-Level Rydberg Atomic Quantum Receiver for Multi-Band Wireless Communications

Lahiru Shyamal, Harini Hapuarachchi, Saman Atapattu, Jared H. Cole

quant-pheess.SPSubmitted Apr 13, 2026• Announced Apr 15, 2026• 0 citations• Revised Jul 14, 2026 (v2)
v1 · Apr 13, 2026v2 · Jul 14, 2026
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Abstract

Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have recently emerged as a promising technology for radio-frequency (RF) reception by directly transducing incident RF fields into optical signals. Existing receiver architectures, however, exploit only subsets of the dipole-allowed transitions within a given atomic manifold, limiting the number of simultaneously accessible RF channels. In this paper, a hybrid six-level Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (H-RAQR) is proposed by integrating parallel and cascaded RF coupling pathways within a single vapor-cell receiver. A communication-oriented analytical framework is developed by deriving a closed-form steady-state atom--field interaction model and establishing an equivalent baseband signal representation. The achievable ergodic sum rate is analyzed, and a resource-efficiency metric is introduced to quantify throughput per unit optical receiver resource. The analytical model is validated against full Lindblad master-equation simulations over its identified operating region. Numerical results show that the proposed H-RAQR supports four simultaneous RF channels within a single atomic system, achieves higher ergodic sum rate than conventional parallel Rydberg state (PRS) and cascade Rydberg state (CRS) receivers, and provides about 29% higher resource efficiency than a combined PRS-CRS deployment with equivalent four-band coverage. The proposed framework provides a scalable foundation for multi-band atomic wireless receivers.

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Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have recently emerged as a promising technology for radio-frequency (RF) reception by directly transducing incident RF fields into optical signals. Existing receiver architectures, however, exploit only subsets of the dipole-allowed transitions within a given atomic manifold, limiting the number of simultaneously accessible RF channels. In this paper, a hybrid six-level Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (H-RAQR) is proposed by integrating parallel and cascaded RF coupling pathways within a single vapor-cell receiver. A communication-oriented analytical framework is developed by deriving a closed-form steady-state atom--field interaction model and establishing an equivalent baseband signal representation. The achievable ergodic sum rate is analyzed, and a resource-efficiency metric is introduced to quantify throughput per unit optical receiver resource. The analytical model is validated against full Lindblad master-equation simulations over its identified operating region. Numerical results show that the proposed H-RAQR supports four simultaneous RF channels within a single atomic system, achieves higher ergodic sum rate than conventional parallel Rydberg state (PRS) and cascade Rydberg state (CRS) receivers, and provides about 29% higher resource efficiency than a combined PRS-CRS deployment with equivalent four-band coverage. The proposed framework provides a scalable foundation for multi-band atomic wireless receivers.
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.
An efficient three-color (3C) laser excitation-based Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (RAQR) architecture is investigated for wireless communications, utilizing a five-level (5L) electronic transition mechanism. Specifically, the conventional two-color (2C) RAQR with the four-level (4L) excitation faces three fundamental obstacles: 1) high cost and engineering challenges due to the reliance on unstable short-wavelength lasers; 2) a fundamental sensitivity limit in thermal atoms caused by residual Doppler broadening; and 3) the inability to detect low-frequency bands due to the energy-level constraint of two-photon resonance. To address these challenges, this paper analyzes a 3C5L-RAQR architecture with all-red/infrared lasers, which not only solves the engineering cost issues but also enables effective Doppler cancellation and low-frequency detection by exploiting the three-photon resonance. Bridging atomic physics and communication theory, an end-to-end equivalent baseband signal model is derived. Furthermore, the performance of different RAQR architectures is evaluated in terms of sensitivity, achievable rate and spectrum access range. Moreover, we provide an exact numerical solution for practical RAQRs by employing the Liouvillian superoperator formalism. Numerical results demonstrate that the exhibited 3C5L-RAQR achieves superior sensitivity compared to the conventional 2C4L-RAQR and a classical antenna-based radio frequency receiver for weak-signal detection. Finally, the inherent sensitivity-rate trade-off is revealed, showing that the 3C5L-RAQR is more suitable for deployment in power-limited communication scenarios demanding broad spectrum access.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQRs) have emerged as highly sensitive receivers for future communication and sensing systems. However, conventional RAQRs are primarily effective for single-carrier and narrowband reception, typically with an operational bandwidth of only a few hundred kilohertz. To enable the reception of multi-carrier signals with larger bandwidth, we propose a multi-carrier Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (MC-RAQR) architecture based on a five-level quantum system model. We analyze the amplitude and phase of the output laser in MC-RAQR and extract the baseband electrical signal for signal processing. Furthermore, we quantify the performance of MC-RAQR in multi-carrier communication and sensing by studying the channel capacity and distance estimation, respectively. Numerical results show that the MC-RAQR is capable of achieving a bandwidth of 7.27.27.2 MHz, which is an order of magnitude larger than conventional RAQRs. Besides, compared to conventional receivers, MC-RAQR can improve the capacity and distance estimation by 181818-fold and 10310^3103-fold, respectively. This validates the superiority of MC-RAQR in receiving multi-carrier signal, and demonstrates its compatibility in detecting waveforms such as orthogonal frequency‐division multiplexing.
This paper develops an optically movable Rydberg atomic quantum receiver (RAQR), in which the probe and coupling beams are steered within each vapor cell to dynamically reconfigure the effective radio-frequency (RF) sensing position without mechanical actuation. A closed-form equivalent baseband model is derived by separating the atomic transduction coefficient, optical steering phase, and cell-center array response into distinct factors and the accuracy of the resulting model is validated against numerical solutions of the Lindblad master equation. Based on the derived model, we reveal two complementary channel-shaping mechanisms, including intrinsic beam-pattern shaping through RF-to-optical transduction and per-cell phase control enabled by optical displacement. To further exploit these capabilities, a non-convex sum-rate maximization problem is formulated over the optical positions and local oscillator design and solved via an alternating optimization framework with analytical gradients. Simulation results validate the derived model and demonstrate substantial performance gains enabled by optical movability, highlighting its potential as a programmable receiver architecture for future wireless networks.
Rydberg atomic quantum receivers exhibit great potential in assisting classical wireless communications due to their outstanding advantages in detecting radio frequency signals. To realize this potential, we integrate a Rydberg atomic quantum receiver into a classical multi-user multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) scheme to form a multi-user Rydberg atomic quantum MIMO (RAQ-MIMO) system for the uplink. To study this system, we first construct an equivalent baseband signal model, which facilitates convenient system design, signal processing and optimizations. We then study the ergodic achievable rates under both the maximum ratio combining (MRC) and zero-forcing (ZF) schemes by deriving their tight lower bounds. We next compare the ergodic achievable rates of the RAQ-MIMO and the conventional massive MIMO schemes by offering a closed-form expression for the difference of their ergodic achievable rates, which allows us to directly compare the two systems. Our results show that RAQ-MIMO allows the average transmit power of users to be>25d B m>25 \text{d B m}>25d B mlower than that of the conventional massive MIMO. Viewed from a different perspective, an extra∼8.8\sim 8.8∼8.8bits/s/Hz/user rate becomes achievable by ZF RAQ-MIMO.
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.