Abstract We study electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a room-temperature cesium vapor cell using wavelength-modulated probe laser light. In the utilized cascade level scheme, the probe laser drives the lower transition 6 S 1 / 2 ( F = 4) → 6 P 3 / 2 ( F ’ = 5), while the coupling laser drives the Rydberg transition 6 P 3 / 2 → 57 S 1 / 2 . The probe laser has a fixed average frequency and is modulated at a frequency of a few kHz, with a variable modulation amplitude in the range of tens of MHz. The probe transmission is measured as a function of the detuning of the coupling laser from the Rydberg resonance. The first-harmonic demodulated EIT signal has two peaks that are, in the case of large modulation amplitude, separated by the peak-to-peak modulation amplitude of the probe laser times a scaling factor λ p / λ c , where λ p and λ c are the probe- and coupling-laser wavelengths. The scaling factor is due to Doppler shifts in the EIT geometry. Second-harmonic demodulated EIT signals, obtained with small modulation amplitudes, yield spectral lines that are much narrower than corresponding lines in the modulation-free EIT spectra. The resultant spectroscopic resolution enhancement is conducive to improved measurements of radio-frequency (RF) fields based on Rydberg-atom EIT, an approach in which the response of Rydberg atoms to RF fields is exploited to characterize RF fields. Here, we employ wavelength modulation spectroscopy to reduce the uncertainty of atom-based frequency and field measurement of an RF field in the VHF radio band.
Abstract We study electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in a room-temperature cesium vapor cell using wavelength-modulated probe laser light. In the utilized cascade level scheme, the probe laser drives the lower transition 6 S 1 / 2 ( F = 4) → 6 P 3 / 2 ( F ’ = 5), while the coupling laser drives the Rydberg transition 6 P 3 / 2 → 57 S 1 / 2 . The probe laser has a fixed average frequency and is modulated at a frequency of a few kHz, with a variable modulation amplitude in the range of tens of MHz. The probe transmission is measured as a function of the detuning of the coupling laser from the Rydberg resonance. The first-harmonic demodulated EIT signal has two peaks that are, in the case of large modulation amplitude, separated by the peak-to-peak modulation amplitude of the probe laser times a scaling factor λ p / λ c , where λ p and λ c are the probe- and coupling-laser wavelengths. The scaling factor is due to Doppler shifts in the EIT geometry. Second-harmonic demodulated EIT signals, obtained with small modulation amplitudes, yield spectral lines that are much narrower than corresponding lines in the modulation-free EIT spectra. The resultant spectroscopic resolution enhancement is conducive to improved measurements of radio-frequency (RF) fields based on Rydberg-atom EIT, an approach in which the response of Rydberg atoms to RF fields is exploited to characterize RF fields. Here, we employ wavelength modulation spectroscopy to reduce the uncertainty of atom-based frequency and field measurement of an RF field in the VHF radio band.
Rydberg atoms, with large principal quantum number n, have been widely investigated in recent years due to their peculiar properties, such as big sizes, long lifetimes and strong interactions with fields and other Rydberg atoms. Rydberg atoms are very sensitive to external fields due to their large polarizabilities scaling as n7.These make Rydberg atoms an ideal candidate for the quantum information, the many-body interaction, etc.In this work, we investigate the Rydberg atoms using electromagneticlly induced transparency (EIT) in a ladder three-level system. The EIT is a quantum interference effect between two excitation path-ways driven by two laser fields. The main idea is performed in a room temperature cesium vapor cell, where the probe laser frequency is modulated. The ground state (6P1/2), excited state (6P3/2), and Rydberg state (nS1/2) constitute a Rydberg three-level system, in which the probe laser is fixed to the 6S1/2 (F = 4)6P3/2 (F = 5) transition by saturated absorption spectrum technique, whereas the coupling laser is scanned across the 6P3/249S1/2 transition. We detect the demodulated EIT signal with the lock-in amplifier (SR830). The modulated EIT signal shows a two-peak structure. The measured spacing between two peaks increases with the frequency detuning, caused by the modulation amplitude, and half the spacing between the peak-to-peak is nearly 1.67 times the modulation amplitude of the probe laser; the measured result shows that the splitting is independent of the modulation frequency. The experimental results are in agreement with the theoretical calculations. The results in our work can be used for real-time monitoring of the laser-line profiles and the fluctuation of laser frequency.
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.
Rydberg atoms, with large principal quantum number, exhibit certain properties, such as long lifetimes and strong interactions with fields and other atoms, which have been extensively investigated recently. One of the properties is the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of Rydberg ladder system, which can be used to measure the radio frequency (RF) field with high sensitivity. In this paper, we investigate the quantum coherent effect of cesium Rydberg atom in a three-level ladder system involving the ground state (6S1/2), the excited state (6P3/2) and 49S1/2 Rydberg state in room temperature vapor cell. The probe laser (852 nm) drives the transition of 6S1/2(F=4)→6P3/2(F'=5), while the coupling laser (510 nm) couples the Rydberg transition of 6P3/2 (F'=5)→nS1/2. A typical electromagnetically induced transparency spectrum is obtained when the weak probe laser is scanned through the transition of 6S1/2(F=4)→6P3/2(F'=5) and the coupling laser tuning to Rydberg transition. The two-photon RF spectra are observed when the RF field with a frequency of ～16.9 GHz couples the Rydberg transition of 49S1/2→47D3/2, where the EIT signal is split into two EIT peaks due to the interaction between the RF field and Rydberg atoms. The dependences of EIT splitting on the power of RF field are investigated. The results show that the EIT splitting increases with the power of RF field, which can inversely be used to measure the RF field with a higher spatial resolution in the future.
Rydberg atoms are highly excited atoms with large principal quantum number n, big sizes (~n2) and long lifetimes (~n3). Rydberg atoms are very sensitive to an external field due to the large polarizabilities of Rydberg atoms (~n7). Electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) of Rydberg atom provides an ideal method to detect Rydberg atoms without destroying atoms, and can be used to measure the external direct current and radio frequency (RF) field. In this paper, we study the EIT effect of a cesium ladder-type three-level atom involving Rydberg state exposed to a weak RF field. The ground state (6S1/2), the excited state (6P3/2) and Rydberg state (48D5/2) constitute the Rydberg three-level system, in which the probe laser couples 6S1/2(F=4)6P3/2(F'=5) transition, whereas the coupling laser scans across the 6P3/248D5/2 Rydberg transition. The coupling laser (510 nm laser, propagating in the z-axis direction and linear polarization in the y-axis direction) and the probe laser (852 nm laser, linear polarization in the y-axis direction) counter-propagate through a 50-mm-long cesium vapor cell at room temperature, yielding Rydberg EIT spectra. Rydberg EIT signal is detected as a function of the detuning of the coupling laser. When a weak RF (80 MHz) electric field polarized in the x-axis direction is applied to a pair of electrode plates located on both sides of the cesium cell, the EIT spectrum of Rydberg 48D5/2 shows the Stark splitting and the even order harmonic sidebands. The experimental results are analyzed by using the Floquet theory. The simulation results accord well with the experimentally measured results. Furthermore, we also investigate the influence of the self-ionization effect of Rydberg atom on the Stark spectrum by changing the RF frequency. We put forward a proposal to avoid the effect of ionization by placing electrode plates in the cesium cell. In the weak RF-field domain, mj=5/2 Stark line crosses mj=1/2, 3/2 sidebands, these cross points provide an antenna-free method of accurately calibrating the RF electric field based on Rydberg atoms.
We show experimentally obtained frequency- and power-dependent optical response of a room-temperature cesium vapor cell used as a Rydberg microwave receiver based on electromagnetically induced transparency. An applied microwave field couples the 70S1/2 Rydberg state to the nearby 70P1/2, 70P3/2, 69P1/2, and 69P3/2 states, modifying the probe-transmission spectrum. Probe transmission is recorded over a 800 MHz range of coupling laser detunings. These EIT spectra are measured for RF frequencies from 9 to 13.5 GHz and over a 40 dB range of RF power. We analyze the RF induced splittings in the recorded EIT spectra. We observe both limiting cases, where the EIT peak separation is either dominated by the RF detuning or by the RF power. At higher powers we are also able to observe complex features due to coupling of multiple nearby Rydberg states. We further analyze the probe-transmission signal at zero coupling-laser detuning. Sigmoidal fits to the power-response curves are used to determine the midpoint power and the 10-90% transition interval as functions of RF frequency.
We present a laser frequency locking to Rydberg transition with electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) spectra in a room-temperature cesium vapor cell. Cesium levels 6S 1/2 , 6P 3/2 , and the n D 5/2 state, compose a cascade three-level system, where a coupling laser drives Rydberg transition, and probe laser detects the EIT signal. The error signal, obtained by demodulating the EIT signal, is used to lock the coupling laser frequency to Rydberg transition. The laser frequency fluctuation, ∼0.7 MHz, is obtained after locking on, with the minimum Allan variance to be 8.9 × 10 −11 . This kind of locking method can be used to stabilize the laser frequency to the excited transition.