Radio frequency electric field-enhanced sensing based on the Rydberg atom-based superheterodyne receiver.

Abstract

We present enhanced sensing of a radio frequency (RF) electric field (E-field) by the combined polarizability of Rydberg atoms and the optimized local oscillator (LO) field of a superheterodyne receiver. 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 the megahertz (MHz) E-field are demonstrated at the optimal LO field for three different Rydberg states ${\rm 43D}_{5/2}$, ${\rm 60S}_{1/2}$, and ${\rm 90S}_{1/2}$. The sensitivity of 63 MHz for the ${\rm 90S}_{1/2}$ state reaches 9.6 $\times 10^{-5}\rm \,V/m/\sqrt {Hz}$, which is approximately an order of magnitude higher than those already published. This result closely approaches the sensitivity limit of a 1 cm passive dipole antenna without using an impedance matching network. This atomic sensor based on the Rydberg Stark effect with heterodyne technique is expected to boost an alternative solution to electric dipole antennas.