Logo
ScienceStack
Table of Contents
Fetching ...
Sign In

MHz to sub-kHz field detection with an all-dielectric potassium Rydberg-atom sensor

Daniel Hammerland, Rajavardhan Talashila, Dixith Manchaiah, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, Noah Schlossberger, Erik McKee, Michael A. Highman, Matthew T. Simons, Samuel Berweger, Alexandra B. Artusio-Glimpse, Christopher L. Holloway

Abstract

Rydberg sensors have significant promise as an alternative to the antenna systems used for sub-MHz frequency communications, where the scale of high-efficiency antennas is often impractically large, forcing the use of low-efficiency, electrically small antennas. The exploration of Rydberg sensors at these frequencies has been hampered by the low field transmission of the silicate vapor cells. We dramatically improve the low-frequency field transmission of silicate vapor cells by using potassium as the active medium instead of rubidium or cesium. The potassium Rydberg sensor can measure fields with frequencies down to 500 Hz in an all-dielectric sensor, effectively extending the low-frequency cutoff of the sensor by nearly four orders of magnitude compared to an equivalent rubidium vapor cell. With this simple substitution, experimentation with low-frequency sensing becomes dramatically more accessible to the community.

MHz to sub-kHz field detection with an all-dielectric potassium Rydberg-atom sensor

Abstract

Rydberg sensors have significant promise as an alternative to the antenna systems used for sub-MHz frequency communications, where the scale of high-efficiency antennas is often impractically large, forcing the use of low-efficiency, electrically small antennas. The exploration of Rydberg sensors at these frequencies has been hampered by the low field transmission of the silicate vapor cells. We dramatically improve the low-frequency field transmission of silicate vapor cells by using potassium as the active medium instead of rubidium or cesium. The potassium Rydberg sensor can measure fields with frequencies down to 500 Hz in an all-dielectric sensor, effectively extending the low-frequency cutoff of the sensor by nearly four orders of magnitude compared to an equivalent rubidium vapor cell. With this simple substitution, experimentation with low-frequency sensing becomes dramatically more accessible to the community.
Paper Structure (8 sections, 7 figures)

This paper contains 8 sections, 7 figures.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Results
  3. Inverted ladder scheme EIT in potassium
  4. Comparison between potassium and rubidium
  5. Potassium low-frequency sensing
  6. Methods
  7. Discussion
  8. Conclusion

Figures (7)

  • Figure 1: Potassium EIT optical transmission spectra covering (a) the 50D state and (b) the 50D and 52S states .
  • Figure 2: Comparison of the Stark shifted EIT observed in potassium (a) and rubidium (b) at different frequencies with an external field amplitude of 60 V/m.
  • Figure 3: Calibrated RF electric field transmission curves, (a), for both potassium (blue) and rubidium (orange) and (b) the ratio of the potassium and rubidium transmission curves, extrapolated beyond the few MHz range to qualitatively show the low frequency behavior.
  • Figure 4: External field sensitivity measurements of both potassium and rubidium.
  • Figure 5: Plots of the Fourier transform beat note amplitudes of directly modulated EIT transmission at sub-kHz frequencies.
  • ...and 2 more figures