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

Robinson, Amy K.; Prajapati, Nikunjkumar; Senić, Damir; Simons, Matthew T.; Gordon, Joshua A.; Holloway, Christopher L.

doi:10.1063/5.0045601

Cited by 82 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Rydberg-atom sensors offer a number of advantages for applications in sensing, navigation or medicine [8], combining the ability to perform both absolute [5,6] and vector [9,10] field measurement with a spatial resolution determined by an optical rather than microwave frequency to realize subwavelength imaging [11][12][13]. For weak-field sensing, a number of approaches have been developed including frequency modulation [14], homodyne [15] and heterodyne [16] detection in the optical domain and MW local oscillators [17] to approach shot-noise limited sensitivity < 1 µV.cm −1 .Hz −1/2 [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal State Choice for Rydberg-Atom Microwave Sensors

Chopinaud

Pritchard

2021

Phys. Rev. Applied

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Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) enables realization of atom-based SI-traceable microwave (MW) sensing, imaging and communication devices by exploiting the strong microwave electric dipole coupling of highly excited Rydberg states. Essential to the development of robust devices is a careful characterization of sensor performance and systematic uncertainties. In this work we present a comparison of microwaveinduced EIT splitting in a cesium atomic vapor for four possible Rydberg couplings 65S 1/2 → 65P 1/2 , 66S 1/2 → 66P 3/2 , 79D 5/2 → 81P 3/2 and 62D 5/2 → 60F 7/2 at microwave transition frequencies around 13 GHz. Our work highlights the impact of multi-photon couplings to neighbouring Rydberg states in breaking both the symmetry and linearity of the observed splitting, with excellent agreement between experimental observations and a theoretical model accounting for multi-photon couplings. We identify an optimal angular state choice for robust microwave measurements, as well as demonstrating a new regime in which microwave polarization can be measured.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Optimal State Choice for Rydberg-Atom Microwave Sensors

Chopinaud

Pritchard

2021

Phys. Rev. Applied

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“…The recent prototypes of Rydberg atoms-based analyser were demonstrated for frequencies 0 to 20 GHz for AM or FM radio, WiFi and Bluetooth signals [124]. The combination of more antennas can detect the angle-of-arrival of the signal [125]. At the laboratory level, Rydberg atoms technology is available commercially.…”

Section: Quantum Rf Antennamentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There can be an array of quantum antennas for multi-frequency measurement for different bandwidths or one antenna dynamically changing bandwidth according to the interest. Moreover, Rydberg atoms-based antennas can measure both AM and FM signals, offer self-calibration, and measure both weak and very strong fields and detect the angle-of-arrival [125]. In the future, quantum antennas could look like an array (matrix) of Rydberg atom cells.…”

Section: Key Pointsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantum technology for military applications

Krelina

2021

EPJ Quantum Technol.

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Quantum technology is an emergent and potentially disruptive discipline, with the ability to affect many human activities. Quantum technologies are dual-use technologies, and as such are of interest to the defence and security industry and military and governmental actors. This report reviews and maps the possible quantum technology military applications, serving as an entry point for international peace and security assessment, ethics research, military and governmental policy, strategy and decision making. Quantum technologies for military applications introduce new capabilities, improving effectiveness and increasing precision, thus leading to ‘quantum warfare’, wherein new military strategies, doctrines, policies and ethics should be established. This report provides a basic overview of quantum technologies under development, also estimating the expected time scale of delivery or the utilisation impact. Particular military applications of quantum technology are described for various warfare domains (e.g. land, air, space, electronic, cyber and underwater warfare and ISTAR—intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance), and related issues and challenges are articulated.

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“…A significant progress has been made in the atom-based measurement of microwave electric fields using Rydberg atoms due to their large dc polarizabilities and microwavetransition dipole moments 3 . An optical Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (Rydberg-EIT) spectroscopy and Aulter-Townes(AT) splitting have been employed to measure the RF field over a wide frequency range from 100 MHz 4,5 to over 1 THz 6 , including the measurement of the strength of microwave field and polarizations [7][8][9] , the sub-wavelength microwave imaging 10,11 and the first demonstration of angleof-arrival measurements 12 . The concept of the wireless communication recently based on Rydberg atoms also has been demonstrated, including an amplitude modulation (AM) [13][14][15] , a frequency modulation (FM) 16 , and a phase modulation (PM) 17,18 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Continuous-frequency weak electric field measurement with Rydberg atoms

Hu¹,

Li²,

Rong³

et al. 2022

Preprint

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We demonstrate a continuous frequency electric field measurement based on the far off-resonant AC stark effect in a Rydberg atomic vapor cell. In this configuration, a strong far off-resonant field, denoted as a local oscillator (LO) field, acts as a gain shifting the Rydberg level to a high sensitivity region. An incident weak signal field with a few hundreds of kHz difference from the LO field is mixed with the LO field in Rydberg system to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) signal, which is read out by the Rydberg electromagnetically induced transparency (Rydberg-EIT) spectroscopy. Not like resonant EIT-AT spectra, we realize the electric field measurement of the signal frequency from 2 GHz to 5 GHz using a single Rydberg state. A minimum detectable filed strength is down to 2.31 µV/cm and a linear dynamic range is over 65 dB. The minimum detectable filed is comparable with a resonant microwave-dressed Rydberg heterodyne receiver using the same system, which is 1.45 µV/cm. We also show the system has an inherent polarization selectivity feature. Our method can provide a high sensitivity of electric field measurement and be extended to arbitrary frequency measurements.

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

Cited by 82 publications

References 26 publications

Optimal State Choice for Rydberg-Atom Microwave Sensors

Optimal State Choice for Rydberg-Atom Microwave Sensors

Quantum technology for military applications

Continuous-frequency weak electric field measurement with Rydberg atoms

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