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Frontiers in Optics

Rydberg fluorescence imaging of electric field in plasma

Mykhailo Vorobiov, Rob Behary, Nicolas DeStefano, Edward Thomas, Saikat Chakraborty Thakur, S. Mordijck, Charles T. Francher, Neel Malvania, S. Aubin, Eugeniy E. Mikhailov, Irina V. Novikova

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

Our method measures electric fields in dilute plasmas non-perturbatively with Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency in rubidium. We detect Stark shifts in fluorescence for spatial profiling.
DOI
10.1364/fio.2025.ftu6c.2

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We present an all-optical detection approach to determine the position and spatial profile of an electron beam based on quantum properties of alkali metal atoms. To measure the electric field, produced by an electron beam, we excite thermal rubidium atoms to a highly excited Rydberg state via a two-photon ladder transition and detect Stark shifts of Rydberg states by monitoring frequencies of the corresponding electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) transmission peaks. We addressed several technical challenges in this approach. First, we use crossed laser beams to obtain spatial information about the electron beam position and geometry. Second, by pulsing the electron beam and using phase-sensitive optical detection, we separate the true electron beam electric signature from the parasitic electric fields due to photoelectric charges on the windows. Finally, we use a principle component analysis to further improve signal quality. We test this method to detect the current and to reconstruct a 2D profile of a 20 keV electron beam with currents ranging from 25 - 100 uA. While this technique provides less spatial resolution than fluorescence-based measurements, thanks to their speed and limited optical access requirements it can be useful for real-time non-invasive diagnostics of charged particle beams at accelerator facilities.
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