RF E-field enhanced sensing based on Rydberg-atom-based superheterodyne receiver

• Wenguang yang, Mingyong Jing, Hao Zhang, Linjie Zhang, Liantuan Xiao, and Suotang Jia
• received 02/26/2024; accepted 04/21/2024; posted 04/22/2024; Doc. ID 522466
• Abstract: We present enhanced sensing of radio frequency (RF) electric field (E-field) by the combined polarizability of Rydberg atoms and the optimized local oscillator (LO) field of superheterodyne receiving. Our modified theoretical model reveals the dependencies of the sensitivity of E-field amplitude measurement on the polarizability of Rydberg states and the strength of the LO field. The enhanced sensitivities of megahertz (MHz) E-field are demonstrated at the optimal LO field for three different Rydberg states 43D5/2, 60S1/2, and 90S1/2. The sensitivity of 63 MHz for the 90S1/2 state reaches 9.6×10^-5 V/m/Hz½, which is approximately an order of magnitude higher than those already published. This result closely approaches the theoretical sensitivity limit of RF dipole antennas and indicates the potential for exceeding the limit in measuring sub-MHz E-field. This atomic sensor based on the Rydberg Stark effect with heterodyne technique is expected to boost an alternative solution to electric dipole antennas.