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IEEE Transactions on Instrumentation and Measurement

A Quantum-Based Microwave Attenuation Standard: Direct Comparison Between Rabi Attenuation and the National Standard

Masahiro Yamamoto, Yuya Tojima, Moto Kinoshita

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Microwave (MW) quantum sensors have attracted attention due to their promising applications in precision measurements and standards. Recently, we demonstrated the measurement of Rabi attenuation—a quantum-based MW attenuation—using cesium atomic vapor. Rabi attenuation offers several potential advantages over conventional standards; however, the previous study encountered issues with nonlinearity. In this study, we improved the linearity of Rabi attenuation by reducing detuning as one of the nonlinearity factors. We combined the precise determination of resonant frequency using the first-order term of Rabi resonance with the accurate measurement of the MW field using the second-order term. Furthermore, we conducted a direct comparison of Rabi attenuation with the national standard in the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) for the first time, allowing for a quantitative evaluation of Rabi attenuation’s linearity. The Rabi attenuation was consistent with the national standard within a range of 33 dB, accounting for the uncertainty due to MW field nonuniformity. Further optimization of Rabi attenuation measurements paves the way for the next-generation quantum-based MW attenuation standards based on qubit Rabi frequency measurements.

DOI
10.1109/tim.2025.3555705

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Microwave (MW) quantum sensors have attracted attention due to their promising applications in precision measurements and standards. Recently, we demonstrated the measurement of Rabi attenuation—a quantum-based MW attenuation—using cesium atomic vapor. Rabi attenuation offers several potential advantages over conventional standards; however, the previous study encountered issues with nonlinearity. In this study, we improved the linearity of Rabi attenuation by reducing detuning as one of the nonlinearity factors. We combined the precise determination of resonant frequency using the first-order term of Rabi resonance with the accurate measurement of the MW field using the second-order term. Furthermore, we conducted a direct comparison of Rabi attenuation with the national standard in the National Metrology Institute of Japan (NMIJ) for the first time, allowing for a quantitative evaluation of Rabi attenuation’s linearity. The Rabi attenuation was consistent with the national standard within a range of 33 dB, accounting for the uncertainty due to MW field nonuniformity. Further optimization of Rabi attenuation measurements paves the way for the next-generation quantum-based MW attenuation standards based on qubit Rabi frequency measurements.
Quantum sensing of microwave power has attracted increasing attention due to its various potential advantages. Recently we have demonstrated a quantum-based microwave attenuation measurement based on Rabi frequency, i.e., Rabi attenuation, using a cesium atomic vapor cell inserted in a rectangular waveguide. This paper reports on the optimization of the Rabi frequency measurement to improve the accuracy and dynamic range of the Rabi attenuation. As the first step in the optimization process, we reduced microwave detuning by carefully determining the resonant frequency. We also improved the method to determine the Rabi frequency. Consequently, we found that the Rabi attenuation corresponding to the change in power of the microwave signal generator was two orders less uncertain and one order more linear than in the previous study. These results pave the way for realizing a next-generation quantum-based attenuation standard with greater accuracy and broader dynamic range by further improving the Rabi attenuation.
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Detection of microwave (MW) field with high accuracy is an important problem in the physical science and engineering area. In this work, we reported an atomic Rabi resonance-based MW magnetic field sensor and demonstrated its capability to continuously detect X-band MW magnetic field over a high dynamic power range of > 60 dB. The MW power frequency shift was carefully evaluated and canceled in order to support more sensitive filed measurement. A weak 9.2 GHz MW magnetic field lower than 10 nT was successful extracted from Rabi resonance line on the cesium clock transition. MW field and power detection capabilities of the presented method can be extended to cover a higher dynamic range and a wider frequency band by applying stronger excitation and exploring non-clock atomic transition. Our work enables potential applications including SI-traceable MW calibration and atomic communication.
In this letter, an atom-based approach for measuring the microwave (MW) cavity response (including cavity frequency and Q-factor) is presented, which utilizes a MW magnetic field detection technique based on atomic Rabi resonances. We first identify the Rabi resonances on seven π transitions in Cs atoms and demonstrate their uses in continuously frequency-tunable field detectors. With the atom-based field detectors, we then indicate the possibility of reconstructing the MW cavity response by measuring the MW frequency-dependent Rabi frequency (i.e., MW field strength) inside the cavity. To demonstrate this approach, we measured the response curves of a 9.2-GHz cavity and a cavity resonating at 8.3 GHz and 9.7 GHz using π transitions and σ transitions, respectively. We compared the results measured by our approach with those measured by Vector Networker Analyzer and obtained good agreement. From such atom-based, SI-traceable measurements, the MW cavity response can be linked directly to the Rabi frequency, which could be referred to an atomic clock.
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In this study, we demonstrate the direct measurement of a microwave (MW) magnetic field through the detection of atomic Rabi resonances with Cs vapor cells in a free-space low-Q cavity. The line shape (amplitude and linewidth) of detected Rabi resonances is investigated versus several experimental parameters such as the laser intensity, cell buffer gas pressure, and cell length. The specially designed low-Q cavity creates a suitable MW environment allowing easy testing of different vapor cells with distinct properties. Obtained results are analyzed to optimize the performances of a MW magnetic field sensor based on the present atom-based detection technique.