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Comment on "Determining angle of arrival of radio-frequency fields using subwavelength, amplitude-only measurements of standing waves in a Rydberg atom sensor"

M. Chilcott, N. Kjærgaard

We discuss the consequence of excluding allowed RF-transition between substates of a field-dressed Rydberg manifold when predicting the spectrum that will be observed if the dressed system is probed in an optical EIT scheme.

quant-pharXiv:2601.20062Jan 29, 2026

Publisher’s Note: “A self-locking Rydberg atom electric field sensor” [Appl. Phys. Lett. 122, 094001 (2023)]

Charles Fancher, Kathryn L. Nicolich, Kelly M. Backes +7 more

Applied Physics LettersMar 27, 20230 citations

Determining angle of arrival of radio-frequency fields using subwavelength, amplitude-only measurements of standing waves in a Rydberg atom sensor

Rajavardhan Talashila, William J. Watterson, Benjamin L. Moser +6 more

Deep subwavelength radio-frequency (RF) imaging with atomic Rydberg sensors has overcome fundamental limitations of traditional antennas and enabled ultra-wideband detection of omni-directional time varying fields all in a compact form factor. However, in most applications, Rydberg sensors require the use of a secondary strong RF reference field to serve as a phase reference. Here, we demonstrate a new type of Rydberg sensor for angle-of-arrival (AoA) sensing, which utilizes subwavelength imaging of standing wave fields. By placing a metallic plate within the Rydberg cell, we can determine the AoA independent of the strength of incoming RF field and without requiring a secondary strong RF phase reference field. We perform precision AoA measurements with a robotic antenna positioning system for 4.2, 5.0, and 5.7 GHz signals and demonstrate a 1.7° polar angular resolution from 0° to 60° AoA and 4.1° over all possible angles.Deep subwavelength radio-frequency (RF) imaging with atomic Rydberg sensors has overcome fundamental limitations of traditional antennas and enabled ultra-wideband detection of omni-directional time varying fields all in a compact form factor. However, in most applications, Rydberg sensors require the use of a secondary strong RF reference field to serve as a phase reference. Here, we demonstrate a new type of Rydberg sensor for angle-of-arrival (AoA) sensing, which utilizes subwavelength imaging of standing wave fields. By placing a metallic plate within the Rydberg cell, we can determine the AoA independent of the strength of incoming RF field and without requiring a secondary strong RF phase reference field. We perform precision AoA measurements with a robotic antenna positioning system for 4.2, 5.0, and 5.7 GHz signals and demonstrate a 1.7° polar angular resolution from 0° to 60° AoA and 4.1° over all possible angles.

arXiv:2502.09835Journal of Applied PhysicsSep 15, 202510 citations

Enhanced Sensitivity of Rydberg Atom-Based Radio Frequency Field Measurements Using Heterodyne Detection

Joshua Gordon, Matthew T. Simons, Abdulaziz H. Haddab +1 more

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyMay 28, 20190 citations

Sensitivity Limits of Rydberg Atom-Based Radio Frequency Electric Field Sensing

Akbar Jahangiri Jozani, Santosh Kumar, Harald Kuebler +2 more

Bulletin of the American Physical SocietyJun 8, 20170 citations

Determining the angle-of-arrival of a radio-frequency source with a Rydberg atom-based sensor

Amy K. Robinson, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, Damir Senić +2 more

In this work, we demonstrate the use of a Rydberg atom-based sensor for determining the angle of arrival of an incident radio frequency (RF) wave or signal. The technique uses electromagnetically induced transparency in Rydberg atomic vapor in conjunction with a heterodyne Rydberg atom-based mixer. The Rydberg atom mixer measures the phase of the incident RF wave at two different locations inside an atomic vapor cell. The phase difference at these two locations is related to the direction of arrival of the incident RF wave. To demonstrate this approach, we measure phase differences of an incident 19.18 GHz wave at two locations inside a vapor cell filled with cesium atoms for various incident angles. Comparisons of these measurements with both the full-wave simulation and the plane wave theoretical model show that these atom-based sub-wavelength phase measurements can be used to determine the angle of arrival of an RF field.In this work, we demonstrate the use of a Rydberg atom-based sensor for determining the angle of arrival of an incident radio frequency (RF) wave or signal. The technique uses electromagnetically induced transparency in Rydberg atomic vapor in conjunction with a heterodyne Rydberg atom-based mixer. The Rydberg atom mixer measures the phase of the incident RF wave at two different locations inside an atomic vapor cell. The phase difference at these two locations is related to the direction of arrival of the incident RF wave. To demonstrate this approach, we measure phase differences of an incident 19.18 GHz wave at two locations inside a vapor cell filled with cesium atoms for various incident angles. Comparisons of these measurements with both the full-wave simulation and the plane wave theoretical model show that these atom-based sub-wavelength phase measurements can be used to determine the angle of arrival of an RF field.

arXiv:2101.12071Applied Physics LettersMar 15, 2021170 citations

Response to “Comment on ‘Determining angle of arrival of radio frequency fields using subwavelength, amplitude-only measurements of standing waves in a Rydberg atom sensor”’ [J. Appl. Phys. 138, 114402 (2025)]

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Response to “Comment on ‘Determining angle of arrival of radio frequency fields using subwavelength, amplitude-only measurements of standing waves in a Rydberg atom sensor”’ [J. Appl. Phys. 138, 114402 (2025)]

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