Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

IEEE photonics journal

Instantaneous Frequency Estimation of Radio Frequency Signal Based on Rydberg Atomic Receiver

Guanyu Chen, Cheng Wang, Bin Yang, Tiantian Chen

Published Mar 25, 2024• 9 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Rydberg atom receiver attracts much research interest for promising applications in communications and sensing. Generally, Rydberg atomic receiver is utilized with microwave frequency comb (MFC) to expand its detectable frequency range. MFC consists of a set of equally spaced discrete frequency lines, resembling a comb in frequency space. In such receives, the mixing of RF signal and its closest MFC component excites the atoms into the desired Rydberg state. Since the mixing rather than RF signal is detected, there exists inevitable ambiguity of frequency estimation. In this paper, we provide a novel frequency ambiguity resolution based on improved Chinese remainder theorem (I-CRT). It realizes the instantaneous frequency estimation of RF signal with the MFC-based Rydberg atomic receiver. The effectiveness of proposed resolution in this paper is verified by both simulation experiments and theoretical analysis.

DOI
10.1109/jphot.2024.3381035

Related papers

Tunable off-resonant Rydberg microwave frequency comb spectroscopy based on metawaveguide coupled Rydberg atoms

Lihua Zhang, Zong-Kai Liu, Bang Liu +10 more

Studying Rydberg microwave frequency comb (MFC) spectroscopy helps increase the working bandwidth of the Rydberg receiver.This Letter demonstrates off-resonant Rydberg MFC spectroscopy in a meta-waveguide-coupled Rydberg atomic system.An off-resonant MFC field couples with the Rydberg atoms through a meta-waveguide.The system can receive the microwave field in the working band from 0.5 GHz to 13.5 GHz, and the MFC spectroscopy covers a span of 36 MHz at three different arbitrarily-chosen frequencies of 2 GHz, 3 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.The MFC spectrum that covers a wide range of 125 MHz is also verified.This work is significant for tunable wide-band instant microwave signal detection in the Rydberg atomic system, which is useful in microwave frequency metrology, communication, and radar.

Chinese Optics Letters•Jan 1, 2024•9 citations

Resonant Rydberg Microwave Frequency Comb Spectroscopy Based on Transverse Electromagnetic Cell Coupled Rydberg Atoms

Xiangyu Li, Hongjin Chen, Di Sang +2 more

Microwave frequency comb represents one of the effective solutions to address the bandwidth limitation in Rydberg atom-based microwave measurements. Here, we demonstrate that by optimizing the phase and intensity of the microwave frequency comb, the average spectral response can be enhanced to achieve optimal flatness in the microwave frequency comb spectrum. This optimization enables the realization of instantaneous bandwidth for a Rydberg receiver at a resonant frequency of 8.556 GHz. This work holds significant implications for the detection of broadband instantaneous microwave signals in Rydberg atom systems, with substantial application potential in fields such as microwave frequency metrology, communications, and radar.

International Conference on Microwave and Millimeter Wave Technology (ICMMT)•May 19, 2025•0 citations

Rydberg Atoms for Radio-Frequency Communications and Sensing: Atomic Receivers for Pulsed RF Field and Phase Detection

David Alexander Anderson, Rachel Sapiro, Georg A. Raithel

We report on the development of detection methods for amplitude and phase of pulsed radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields with Rydberg atoms. We begin with an overview of the basic principles of Rydberg-atom-based sensing and measurement of RF electromagnetic fields. An overview of the underlying atomic physics and the method for amplitude as well as phase sensing of electromagnetic radiation with Rydberg atoms is provided. Atomic RF receivers using Rydberg atoms for analog and digital communications and sensing of modulated RF fields are discussed. Detection of pulse-modulated RF and time-domain RF pulse waveform imaging with a Rydberg-atom receiver are demonstrated. The transient response of the Rydberg-atom vapor to a modulated RF field is observed at the 10-nanosecond level, from which a new lower limit to the achievable instantaneous signal bandwidth of atomic RF receivers is established. Finally, we present and describe a new method to measure the phase of an RF field implemented to not require an RF reference wave. The method employs phase-coherent excitation pathways involving the optical fields in the atomic sensing medium with the signal RF field. The optical RF phase-sensing approach lends itself to the realization of atomic RF sensors, measurement and imaging devices that are relevant to applications in RF communications and sensing.

arXiv:1910.07970•IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Systems Magazine•Apr 1, 2020•85 citations

On-demand instantaneous bandwidth microwave receiver via scalable Rydberg Vapor cell array with Stark comb

Yuechun Jiao, Yuwen Yin, Yunhui He +7 more

Rydberg-atom-based microwave (MW) sensors offer high sensitivity and intrinsic traceability, but their instantaneous bandwidth is fundamentally limited by atomic coherence time. Here, we introduce a scalable sensing architecture that overcomes this limitation by spatially multiplexing atomic detection channels with a Stark comb, in which an MW frequency comb (MFC) and a position-dependent Stark field enable each Rydberg vapor cell to function as an independent frequency-selective heterodyne receiver. We experimentally validate the 210 MHz instantaneous-bandwidth channelized receiver architecture through sequential characterization of individual Stark-shifted channels using a 21-line MFC, while maintaining an overall sensitivity of 326.6 nVcm −1 Hz −1/2 despite a 160 MHz tuning of the carrier resonance frequency. Full simultaneous operation across the 210 MHz bandwidth requires parallel implementation and readout of all channels. This scalable architecture enables on-demand instantaneous bandwidth while preserving sensitivity, providing a pathway toward real-time broadband MW detection for radar, communications, and spectrum monitoring.

Communications Physics•Nov 1, 2026•0 citations

Broadband frequency hopping by Rydberg atoms with high orbital angular momentum states

Yanjie Tong, Zongkai Liu, Qiming Ren +8 more

Communication technologies advance toward secure communication, with frequency hopping communication (FH-C) widely used. However, traditional FH-C is limited by slow hopping speed, narrow bandwidth, and a few hopping points. Rydberg atoms offer a solution but face challenges like poor non-resonant microwave sensitivity and local oscillator synchronization limits. Here, we propose a frequency-hopping receiver based on atomic heterodyne detection that employs high orbital angular momentum (high-OAM) Rydberg states for resonant detection of rapidly hopping radio-frequency signals across multiple, widely separated frequency bands. The high-OAM Rydberg atoms ( l =3,4,5) resonantly detect 315 MHz, 1.7 GHz, and 29.74 GHz RF hopping signals (spanning 6 octaves). With heterodyne detection and a continuous excitation scheme, the system eliminates spectral establishment time, achieving 60 khops/s without transmitter-receiver synchronization, and uses frequency combs to extend hopping points to 5 MHz around resonant frequencies. These advances demonstrate the potential of Rydberg-atom–based receivers for high-speed and wide-band frequency-hopping communication.

Optics Express•Jan 27, 2026•0 citations

Key Metrics Analysis of Rydberg Microwave Receivers

Jiarui Chen, Xiaoguo Huang, Menglei Zhu +3 more

Rydberg atoms are atoms in their highly excited energy states. The physical properties of Rydberg atoms in the presence of external fields play an important role in quantum precision measurement. In recent years, radio-frequency electric field sensing based on Rydberg atoms has attracted significant interest. It is widely recognized as an electromagnetic sensing system fundamentally different from traditional ones. As a quantum sensor, it is expected to surpass several foundational limitations of traditional receivers, such as sensitivity, dynamic range and frequency bandwidth. It was reported that Rydberg sensing systems can sense microwaves of frequencies from DC up to 1THz. Its quantum nature would possibly avoid internal thermal (Johnson) noise, even at room temperature. Recent demonstrations have also observed high precision for terahertz imaging, strong fields sensing, proof-of-principle communication. However, limitations of this novel system have not been addressed, especially for a practical radar, communication or electronic warfare system. Here in this work, we first compare the architectures of different microwave receivers and then analyze the metrics of Rydberg microwave receivers, such as instantaneous bandwidth and dynamic range based on experimental results. We concluded by pointing out several main obstacles to overcome for realizing a practical state-of-the-art microwave receiver.

Photonics & Electromagnetics Research Symposium (PIERS)•Nov 21, 2021•3 citations
Rydberg atom receiver attracts much research interest for promising applications in communications and sensing. Generally, Rydberg atomic receiver is utilized with microwave frequency comb (MFC) to expand its detectable frequency range. MFC consists of a set of equally spaced discrete frequency lines, resembling a comb in frequency space. In such receives, the mixing of RF signal and its closest MFC component excites the atoms into the desired Rydberg state. Since the mixing rather than RF signal is detected, there exists inevitable ambiguity of frequency estimation. In this paper, we provide a novel frequency ambiguity resolution based on improved Chinese remainder theorem (I-CRT). It realizes the instantaneous frequency estimation of RF signal with the MFC-based Rydberg atomic receiver. The effectiveness of proposed resolution in this paper is verified by both simulation experiments and theoretical analysis.
Studying Rydberg microwave frequency comb (MFC) spectroscopy helps increase the working bandwidth of the Rydberg receiver.This Letter demonstrates off-resonant Rydberg MFC spectroscopy in a meta-waveguide-coupled Rydberg atomic system.An off-resonant MFC field couples with the Rydberg atoms through a meta-waveguide.The system can receive the microwave field in the working band from 0.5 GHz to 13.5 GHz, and the MFC spectroscopy covers a span of 36 MHz at three different arbitrarily-chosen frequencies of 2 GHz, 3 GHz, and 5.8 GHz.The MFC spectrum that covers a wide range of 125 MHz is also verified.This work is significant for tunable wide-band instant microwave signal detection in the Rydberg atomic system, which is useful in microwave frequency metrology, communication, and radar.
Microwave frequency comb represents one of the effective solutions to address the bandwidth limitation in Rydberg atom-based microwave measurements. Here, we demonstrate that by optimizing the phase and intensity of the microwave frequency comb, the average spectral response can be enhanced to achieve optimal flatness in the microwave frequency comb spectrum. This optimization enables the realization of instantaneous bandwidth for a Rydberg receiver at a resonant frequency of 8.556 GHz. This work holds significant implications for the detection of broadband instantaneous microwave signals in Rydberg atom systems, with substantial application potential in fields such as microwave frequency metrology, communications, and radar.
We report on the development of detection methods for amplitude and phase of pulsed radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields with Rydberg atoms. We begin with an overview of the basic principles of Rydberg-atom-based sensing and measurement of RF electromagnetic fields. An overview of the underlying atomic physics and the method for amplitude as well as phase sensing of electromagnetic radiation with Rydberg atoms is provided. Atomic RF receivers using Rydberg atoms for analog and digital communications and sensing of modulated RF fields are discussed. Detection of pulse-modulated RF and time-domain RF pulse waveform imaging with a Rydberg-atom receiver are demonstrated. The transient response of the Rydberg-atom vapor to a modulated RF field is observed at the 10-nanosecond level, from which a new lower limit to the achievable instantaneous signal bandwidth of atomic RF receivers is established. Finally, we present and describe a new method to measure the phase of an RF field implemented to not require an RF reference wave. The method employs phase-coherent excitation pathways involving the optical fields in the atomic sensing medium with the signal RF field. The optical RF phase-sensing approach lends itself to the realization of atomic RF sensors, measurement and imaging devices that are relevant to applications in RF communications and sensing.
Rydberg-atom-based microwave (MW) sensors offer high sensitivity and intrinsic traceability, but their instantaneous bandwidth is fundamentally limited by atomic coherence time. Here, we introduce a scalable sensing architecture that overcomes this limitation by spatially multiplexing atomic detection channels with a Stark comb, in which an MW frequency comb (MFC) and a position-dependent Stark field enable each Rydberg vapor cell to function as an independent frequency-selective heterodyne receiver. We experimentally validate the 210 MHz instantaneous-bandwidth channelized receiver architecture through sequential characterization of individual Stark-shifted channels using a 21-line MFC, while maintaining an overall sensitivity of 326.6 nVcm −1 Hz −1/2 despite a 160 MHz tuning of the carrier resonance frequency. Full simultaneous operation across the 210 MHz bandwidth requires parallel implementation and readout of all channels. This scalable architecture enables on-demand instantaneous bandwidth while preserving sensitivity, providing a pathway toward real-time broadband MW detection for radar, communications, and spectrum monitoring.
Communication technologies advance toward secure communication, with frequency hopping communication (FH-C) widely used. However, traditional FH-C is limited by slow hopping speed, narrow bandwidth, and a few hopping points. Rydberg atoms offer a solution but face challenges like poor non-resonant microwave sensitivity and local oscillator synchronization limits. Here, we propose a frequency-hopping receiver based on atomic heterodyne detection that employs high orbital angular momentum (high-OAM) Rydberg states for resonant detection of rapidly hopping radio-frequency signals across multiple, widely separated frequency bands. The high-OAM Rydberg atoms ( l =3,4,5) resonantly detect 315 MHz, 1.7 GHz, and 29.74 GHz RF hopping signals (spanning 6 octaves). With heterodyne detection and a continuous excitation scheme, the system eliminates spectral establishment time, achieving 60 khops/s without transmitter-receiver synchronization, and uses frequency combs to extend hopping points to 5 MHz around resonant frequencies. These advances demonstrate the potential of Rydberg-atom–based receivers for high-speed and wide-band frequency-hopping communication.
Rydberg atoms are atoms in their highly excited energy states. The physical properties of Rydberg atoms in the presence of external fields play an important role in quantum precision measurement. In recent years, radio-frequency electric field sensing based on Rydberg atoms has attracted significant interest. It is widely recognized as an electromagnetic sensing system fundamentally different from traditional ones. As a quantum sensor, it is expected to surpass several foundational limitations of traditional receivers, such as sensitivity, dynamic range and frequency bandwidth. It was reported that Rydberg sensing systems can sense microwaves of frequencies from DC up to 1THz. Its quantum nature would possibly avoid internal thermal (Johnson) noise, even at room temperature. Recent demonstrations have also observed high precision for terahertz imaging, strong fields sensing, proof-of-principle communication. However, limitations of this novel system have not been addressed, especially for a practical radar, communication or electronic warfare system. Here in this work, we first compare the architectures of different microwave receivers and then analyze the metrics of Rydberg microwave receivers, such as instantaneous bandwidth and dynamic range based on experimental results. We concluded by pointing out several main obstacles to overcome for realizing a practical state-of-the-art microwave receiver.