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Optical and Quantum Sensing and Precision Metrology II

Quantum sensing: analysis of Rydberg sensors for e-field sensing and its applications

Talha Minhas

Published Mar 13, 2024• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

An antenna is a key component of E-field signal pickup. However, an antenna has major limitations due to the metal-based probes, the geometry it carries, and the use of metal transmission lines; this can lead to perturbations or disturbance of the fields which limits the precision for field sensing. Rydberg atoms such as Cesium (Cs) or Rubidium (Rb) are utilized for Rydberg sensing. This can be utilized over a large range of frequencies from DC MHz and THz upto (>100 GHz) to measure amplitude, polarization, power, phase, and Angle-of-Arrival of RF Efield. Rydberg sensor detection scheme provides a multitude of applications, including far field characterization using near field or subwavelength imaging, strong RF E-field measurements, weak field detections, mapping of microwave circuitry, Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) signals, metrology, and radars. Recently, practical RF E-field probes such as the RFP and movable probe have been prototyped for application specific RF sensing and measurement needs, further, antenna and waveguide embedded Rydberg sensors have also been developed. Few limitations in the Rydberg sensing scheme are due to lasers, EIT line-width, earth magnetic effects, photodiode circuit noise, and vapor cell in-homogeneity. The purpose of the review is to brief about the thematic work done across the Rydberg atom domain and its applications as RF E-field sensors. The findings of this review indicate the advantages and applications of Rydberg atom sensing as well as the gaps and uncertainties the scheme carries.

DOI
10.1117/12.2687060

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An antenna is a key component of E-field signal pickup. However, an antenna has major limitations due to the metal-based probes, the geometry it carries, and the use of metal transmission lines; this can lead to perturbations or disturbance of the fields which limits the precision for field sensing. Rydberg atoms such as Cesium (Cs) or Rubidium (Rb) are utilized for Rydberg sensing. This can be utilized over a large range of frequencies from DC MHz and THz upto (>100 GHz) to measure amplitude, polarization, power, phase, and Angle-of-Arrival of RF Efield. Rydberg sensor detection scheme provides a multitude of applications, including far field characterization using near field or subwavelength imaging, strong RF E-field measurements, weak field detections, mapping of microwave circuitry, Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (QPSK) signals, metrology, and radars. Recently, practical RF E-field probes such as the RFP and movable probe have been prototyped for application specific RF sensing and measurement needs, further, antenna and waveguide embedded Rydberg sensors have also been developed. Few limitations in the Rydberg sensing scheme are due to lasers, EIT line-width, earth magnetic effects, photodiode circuit noise, and vapor cell in-homogeneity. The purpose of the review is to brief about the thematic work done across the Rydberg atom domain and its applications as RF E-field sensors. The findings of this review indicate the advantages and applications of Rydberg atom sensing as well as the gaps and uncertainties the scheme carries.
Rydberg atoms are neutral atoms excited to high principal quantum number states, which endows them with exaggerated properties such as large electric dipole moments, long lifetimes, and extreme sensitivity to external electromagnetic fields. These characteristics form the foundation of Rydberg atom-based sensors, an emerging class of quantum devices capable of optically detecting electric fields across frequencies from DC to the terahertz regime. Rydberg-based electrometry operates through both Autler–Townes (AT) splitting of resonant Rydberg transitions and Stark-shift measurements for high-frequency or far-detuned fields, enabling broadband field sensing from DC to the THz regime. Using ladder-type electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and AT splitting, these sensors enable non-invasive, SI-traceable measurements of field amplitude, frequency, phase, and polarization. Recent developments have demonstrated broadband electric field probes, voltage calibration standards, and compact RF receivers based on thermal vapor cells and integrated photonic architectures. Furthermore, innovations in multi-photon EIT, superheterodyne readout, and multi wave mixing have expanded the dynamic range and bandwidth of Rydberg-based electrometry. Despite challenges related to environmental perturbations, linewidth broadening, and laser stabilization, ongoing advances in atomic control, hybrid photonic integration, and EIT-based readout promise scalable, chip-compatible sensors. This review summarizes the physical principles, experimental progress, and emerging applications of Rydberg atom-based sensing, emphasizing their potential for next generation quantum metrology, wireless communication, and precision field mapping.
Significant progress has been made in atom-based measurements of length, time, gravity and electromagnetic fields in recently years. Rydberg atom-based microwave electric field measurement, using electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) in room temperature alkali-metal vapors, has been extensively investigated and aroused the broad interest. This approach may establish a new standard for the measurements of microwave (MW) and radio frequency (RF) electric fields.In this review, we describe the work on a new method of measuring electric fields based on quantum interference by using either cesium or rubidium atoms contained in a dielectric vapor cell. Rydberg atoms with principal quantum number n >>1 have large direct current (DC) polarizabilities and microwave transition dipole moments, thereby making them extremely sensitive to external electric fields. Using the Rydberg three-level EIT to detect the level splitting and shift that is induced by the external field, we can realize a rapid and robust self-calibration method of measuring the electric field in a frequency range from 0.01 GHz to 1000 GHz. For the MW electric field (frequency range > 1 GHz), the MW field causes the Rydberg states to split, known as an Autler-Townes splitting (A-T) effect when the applied microwave can resonate with adjacent Rydberg states. The MW coupled A-T splitting is proportional to the applied electric field strength, from which the field strength is measured. Using the EIT window, a high sensitivity of 3 μV·cm-1·Hz-1/2 and small electric field of 1 μV/cm are expected to be achieved with a modest setup, and the limitations of the sensitivity are also addressed in the review. For the RF field at frequency mj EIT lines, and avoided crossings formed with the fine-structure levels of equal mj and different J's, which is used to calibrate and measure the RF field amplitude. On the other hand, the dependence of the EIT-line strength on the RF field polarization provides a fast and robust polarization measurement of RF fields based on matching experimental data with a theoretical simulation. The measurements of minimum strengths and sensitivity of RF fields based on Rydberg atoms are one order magnitude below the values obtained by traditional antenna methods. The atom-based field measurement paves the way for determining fields through calibration-free, invariable atomic properties and miniaturization. We also propose its various potential applications in the future.
We present on the recent development of an atomic antenna probe and front-end based on Rydberg atoms for applications in radio-frequency (RF) imaging and synthetic apertures. Fundamental atom-RF responses and RF amplitude and phase determination methods for Rydberg atom probes are described. We demonstrate electric field imaging in the near-field of a 2.5 GHz Yagi-Uda antenna device under test (DUT) using a portable Rydberg atom probe and integrated front-end, the Rydberg Field Probe (RFP). A wide-area RF electric field map is generated by positioning of the RFP at discrete spatial measurement locations in the near field of the DUT, from which a composite image of the two-dimensional antenna pattern is realized at a spatial resolution of λ/2\lambda /2λ/2 and field uncertainties within 5.5%. Finally, we demonstrate RF phase imaging of a 100 GHz field using a Rydberg EIT optical fluorescence imager and RF self-homodyning, towards RF phase-sensing and imaging at millimeter-wave frequencies.
In this work, the theoretical and measurement results have been reported of microwave E-field sensing using an atomic spectroscopy instead of conventional methods (using antennae) under practice till date. This method is based on interaction of microwave with the Rb atoms excited to the Rydberg states by using two laser beams. This significantly new technique may get accepted internationally as a new primary standard for accurate and precise measurements of various Radio-Frequency parameters such as E-field, power, radiation pressure etc as it provides traceability to physical constants and SI units. The atomic model is also studied theoretically and Optical Bloch equations of the same are reported. It has been shown that microwave E-field strength is measured by studying the frequency difference between the peaks in laser transmission curve. The ability of atoms to sense E-field is shown by varying the power and distance of the antenna from atomic cell. In addition, results are shown for weak RF field detection by detuning the RF field by MHz order.
Atoms form the basis of precise measurement for many quantities (time, acceleration, rotation, magnetic field, etc.). Measurements of microwave frequency electric fields by traditional methods (i.e. engineered antennas) have limited sensitivity and can be difficult to calibrate properly. Highly-excited (Rydberg) neutral atoms have very large electric-dipole moments and many dipole allowed transitions in the range of 1 - 500 GHz. It is possible to sensitively probe the electric field in this range using the combination of two quantum interference phenomena: electromagnetically induced transparency and the Autler-Townes effect. This technique allows for very sensitive field amplitude, polarization, and sub-wavelength imaging measurements. These quantities can be extracted by measuring properties of a probe laser beam as it passes through a warm rubidium vapor cell. Thus far, Rydberg microwave electrometry has relied upon the absorption of the probe laser. We report on our use of polarization rotation, which corresponds to the real part of the susceptibility, for measuring the properties of microwave frequency electric fields. Our simulations show that when a magnetic field is present and directed along the optical propagation direction a polarization rotation signal exists and can be used for microwave electrometry. One central advantage in using the polarization rotation signal rather than the absorption signal is that common mode laser noise is naturally eliminated leading to a potentially dramatic increase in signal-to-noise ratio.
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.