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Quantum Sensing and Nano Electronics and Photonics

Precision timing of radio-frequency pulses using Rydberg atom electrometry

Stephanie M. Bohaichuk, Donald W. Booth, James P. Shaffer

Published Mar 4, 2022• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

In this work, we present theoretical and experimental data on detecting pulsed radio frequency fields. We focus on pulse arrival time detection accuracy. We measure two-photon Rydberg atom EIT in response to ~μs pulse-modulated radio-frequency signals resonant with a Rydberg-Rydberg transition, using a room temperature cesium vapor cell with the lasers locked on atomic resonances. We study the dependence of the atomic response on optical and radio-frequency Rabi frequencies as well as effects such as atomic collisions, ionization, and transit time broadening. We find good agreement with time-dependent simulations performed using a density matrix approach, with a dark state added to account for Rydberg atom decay. We present factors that can influence the sensitivity and timing precision of radio frequency pulses detected under these conditions. Such a system demonstrates potential for the detection of weak radio-frequency pulses in communications and radar applications.

DOI
10.1117/12.2609012

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Abstract We investigate the time dependence of atom-light and atom-RF field interactions in Rydberg electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in a room-temperature and heated vapour cell. Quantum-optical transients are observed with rapid onset and dissolution of EIT induced by coupler-light pulses. The formulation and dissolution times of EIT, transient signals, and their dependencies on light intensities and Rydberg-atom density are studied. Simulations of pulsed EIT are performed by solving a time-dependent three-level master equation, whose results are in excellent agreement with experimental observations, including accurately reproducing quantum-optical transients observed at both onset and dissolution. We explore the time-dependent response of EIT to RF fields resonant with a Rydberg–Rydberg transition. An upper limit to the fundamental atom-RF field response time and instantaneous RF detection bandwidth with EIT-based sensors and receivers is established.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Feb 7, 2020•39 citations
In this work, we present theoretical and experimental data on detecting pulsed radio frequency fields. We focus on pulse arrival time detection accuracy. We measure two-photon Rydberg atom EIT in response to ~μs pulse-modulated radio-frequency signals resonant with a Rydberg-Rydberg transition, using a room temperature cesium vapor cell with the lasers locked on atomic resonances. We study the dependence of the atomic response on optical and radio-frequency Rabi frequencies as well as effects such as atomic collisions, ionization, and transit time broadening. We find good agreement with time-dependent simulations performed using a density matrix approach, with a dark state added to account for Rydberg atom decay. We present factors that can influence the sensitivity and timing precision of radio frequency pulses detected under these conditions. Such a system demonstrates potential for the detection of weak radio-frequency pulses in communications and radar applications.
Rydberg atoms show significant promise as the basis for highly sensitive detectors of continuous radio-frequency (rf) electric fields (E fields). Here, we study their time-dependent response to pulse-modulated rf E fields at 19.4 GHz using a cesium vapor cell at room temperature. We use density-matrix simulations to explain the timescales that shape the transient atomic response under different laser conditions, finding them to be limited by dephasing mechanisms, including transit-time broadening, Rydberg-Rydberg collisions, and ionization. Using a matched filter, we demonstrate the detection of individual pulses with durations from 10 \textmu{}s down to 50 ns and amplitudes from 15 000 \textmu{}V ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ down to about 170 \textmu{}V ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$, corresponding to a sensitivity of about 240 nV ${\mathrm{cm}}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ ${\mathrm{Hz}}^{\ensuremath{-}1/2}$. Finally, we highlight the potential of a Rydberg vapor cell as a receiver by detecting pulse trains from a rotating emitter on a simulated passing aircraft.
Rydberg atoms have shown significant promise as the basis for highly sensitive detectors of continuous radio-frequency (RF) E-fields. Here, we study their time-dependent response to pulse-modulated RF E-fields at 19.4 GHz using a cesium vapour cell at room temperature. We use density matrix simulations to explain the time scales that shape the transient atomic response under different laser conditions, finding them to be limited by dephasing mechanisms including transit time broadening, Rydberg-Rydberg collisions, and ionization. Using a matched filter, we demonstrate the detection of individual pulses with durations from 10 μμμs down to 50 ns and amplitudes from 15000 μμμV cm−1^{-1}−1 down to ~170 μμμV cm−1^{-1}−1, corresponding to a sensitivity of ~240 nV cm−1^{-1}−1 Hz−1/2^{-1/2}−1/2. Finally, we highlight the potential of a Rydberg vapour cell as a receiver by detecting pulse trains from a rotating emitter on a simulated passing aircraft.
We demonstrate Rydberg atom-based radio frequency sensing with a colinear three-photon scheme in a room temperature cesium vapor cell that minimizes residual Doppler broadening of the probe laser absorption feature. A sub-200 kHz spectral linewidth is observed and extends the self-calibrated Autler-Townes sensing regime to weaker fields by a factor of ~18 compared to the theoretical limit of the most commonly used two-photon scheme. The sensitivity of the method to microsecond pulses is shown to be sufficient to detect radio frequency Rabi frequencies of 2πππ x 0.44 MHz using a 480 kHz bandwidth at 108.9 GHz, demonstrating the ability to sense time-dependent signals suitable for radar and communications.
We investigate a technique for detecting radio frequency (RF) electric fields in a cesium (Cs) vapor cell at room temperature by collecting charges from ionized Rydberg atoms and compare its performance with the established method of electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT). By applying a known RF field, we measure the response from both the electrical (ionization current-based) and optical (EIT-based) readouts. The ionization current-based method yields a sensitivity of 22 μ V m−1 Hz−1/2, while the EIT-based method achieves 3.7 μ V m−1 Hz−1/2. The sensitivity of the ionization current-based method is limited by the 2.2 k Ω resistance between the collection electrodes, attributed to a thin Cs film on the inner surfaces of the vapor cell. Controlling or eliminating the Cs layer can significantly improve the sensitivity of this ionization approach.
In this work, we present a high-sensitivity, all-optical, atom-based radio-frequency electrometry technique, implemented via a collinear three-photon excitation scheme in a room-temperature cesium vapor cell. By employing a wave-vector matching condition unique to cesium, our approach reduces the residual Doppler broadening so that it does not dominate the electromagnetically induced absorption linewidth, achieving linewidths below 200 kHz. The narrow linewidth enables the expansion of the self-calibrated Autler-Townes sensing regime and increased sensitivity when compared to methods where Doppler broadening dominates the linewidth. In this paper, we report our latest sensitivity measurements which successfully detected radio-frequency (RF) Rabi frequencies of 2π×43 kHz using a 480 kHz measurement bandwidth at 10.7 GHz, corresponding to a sensitivity of 45 nV/cm/ √ Hz. The results of our experiment show a thirteen-fold improvement compared to our previously reported findings for all-optical atom-based electrometry. Our measurements demonstrate the ability to detect time-varying signals suitable for radar and communication applications with high sensitivity.
Abstract We investigate the time dependence of atom-light and atom-RF field interactions in Rydberg electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) in a room-temperature and heated vapour cell. Quantum-optical transients are observed with rapid onset and dissolution of EIT induced by coupler-light pulses. The formulation and dissolution times of EIT, transient signals, and their dependencies on light intensities and Rydberg-atom density are studied. Simulations of pulsed EIT are performed by solving a time-dependent three-level master equation, whose results are in excellent agreement with experimental observations, including accurately reproducing quantum-optical transients observed at both onset and dissolution. We explore the time-dependent response of EIT to RF fields resonant with a Rydberg–Rydberg transition. An upper limit to the fundamental atom-RF field response time and instantaneous RF detection bandwidth with EIT-based sensors and receivers is established.