Sensitive imaging of electromagnetic fields with paramagnetic polar molecules

TL;DR

This paper introduces a highly sensitive method for detecting low-frequency electromagnetic fields using paramagnetic polar molecules, surpassing atomic-based techniques in sensitivity and versatility across a broad frequency spectrum.

Contribution

The authors present a novel molecular-based detection technique that significantly improves sensitivity and enables measurement of both electric and magnetic fields over a wide frequency range.

Findings

100-fold increase in sensitivity compared to atomic methods

Ability to measure both electric and magnetic field components

Operates across a broad frequency range from dc to THz

Abstract

We propose a method for sensitive parallel detection of low-frequency electromagnetic fields based on the fine structure interactions in paramagnetic polar molecules. Compared to the recently implemented scheme employing ultracold $^{87}$Rb atoms [B{\"o}hi \textit{et al.}, Appl. Phys. Lett. \textbf{97}, 051101 (2010)], the technique based on molecules offers a 100-fold higher sensitivity, the possibility to measure both the electric and magnetic field components, and a probe of a wide range of frequencies from the dc limit to the THz regime.