Electric field effects in Rydberg atoms

Arne Schwettmann, James P. Shaffer, Valter Aragão do Nascimento +2 more

Donald W. Booth, Arne Schwettmann, James P. Shaffer +3 more

Bang Liu, Lihua Zhang, Qifeng Wang +11 more

Abstract Developing microwave electric field sensing based on Rydberg atoms has received significant attention due to its unique advantages. However, achieving effective coupling between Rydberg atoms and the microwave electric field in the sensing process is a challenging problem that greatly impacts the sensitivity. To address this, we propose using a microwave resonant cavity to enhance the effective coupling between the Rydberg atoms and the microwave electric field. In our experiment, Rydberg atoms are prepared via a three-photon excitation scheme, and the electric fields are measured without and with a microwave cavity in which the vapor cell is placed inside, respectively. As a result, we achieved an 18 dB enhancement of power sensitivity by adding the cavity, which is an effective enhancement in electric field pulse signal detection. This experimental testing provides a promising direction for enhancing the sensitivity of Rydberg atomic electric field sensors and paves the way for their application in precision electric field measurements.

Robert J. Damburg, В. В. Колосов

Eliane Luc-Koenig, J. M. Lecomte

Jader Cabral, Jorge Douglas Massayuki Kondo, Luís F. Gonçalves +8 more

The behaviour of interacting ultracold Rydberg atoms in both constant electric fields and laser fields is important for designing experiments and constructing realistic models of them. In this paper, we briefly review our prior work and present new results on how electric fields affect interacting ultracold Rydberg atoms. Specifically, we address the topics of constant background electric fields on Rydberg atom pair excitation and laser-induced Stark shifts on pair excitation.