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Photon-counting detection of microwave signals via coherent transduction enabled by Rydberg atoms

Sebastian Borówka, Uliana Pylypenko, Mateusz Mazelanik, Michal P. Parniak

Published Jan 1, 2023• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We present a room-temperature atomic system used as a microwave-to-optical transducer operating in the single-photon regime. Coherence of the phase-matched conversion and photon-counting detection of microwave blackbody radiation are demonstrated.
DOI
10.1364/cleo_fs.2023.fw3j.3

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Microwave-optical transducers and quantum memories are essential for quantum repeaters enabling a quantum internet. Despite advances in both technologies, integrating these functionalities remains challenging. Here, we theoretically propose and experimentally demonstrate an on-demand microwave-optical quantum transducer based on a Rydberg ensemble. Using cascaded electromagnetically induced transparency, we store microwave photons in a highly excited collective state and convert them into optical photons during retrieval. Leveraging an optical depth of millions for microwave photons and minimal single-photon-level dephasing, our transducer achieves around 90% area-normalized storage efficiency, 2.3 MHz bandwidth, and noise-equivalent temperature of 26 K under cavity-free conditions. Furthermore, our system is cryogenically compatible and extendable for high single-photon conversion efficiency without requiring optical cavity coupling. These findings advance practical on-demand quantum interfaces with broad applications across atomic and solid-state platforms. A quantum internet would link computers over optical fibers, which would require converting their signals into frequencies that can travel by fiber and storing those signals to keep them in sync. The authors built a proof-of-concept from a Rydberg ensemble of cold rubidium atoms, that does both jobs.
Coherent microwave-to-optical transduction is essential for hybrid quantum networks. Typical transducers, however, have bandwidths set by fixed device parameters and face efficiency-bandwidth tradeoffs. We propose a cavity-based microwave-to-optical transducer mediated by a collective Rydberg excitation, where external driving fields tune the conversion bandwidth in situ from narrowband, spectrally selective operation to broadband operation without modifying cavity parameters. Under impedance-matching conditions, the system operates as a continuous-wave phase-preserving linear transducer, maintaining both near-unit efficiency and quantum-limited added noise throughout the tunable bandwidth range.