Millimeter Wave Detection via Autler-Townes Splitting in Rubidium Rydberg Atoms

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates a novel atom-based method using Autler-Townes splitting in rubidium Rydberg atoms to detect millimeter waves, offering a potential SI-traceable calibration technique for mm-wave electric fields.

Contribution

It introduces a new, atom-based approach for measuring mm-wave electric fields using Autler-Townes splitting in rubidium Rydberg atoms, filling a calibration gap in the mm-wave regime.

Findings

Successfully measured electric fields at 93 GHz and 104 GHz.

Compared experimental results with finite element simulations.

Proposed a new SI-traceable calibration method for mm-wave electric fields.

Abstract

In this paper we demonstrate the detection of millimeter waves via Autler-Townes splitting in 85Rb Rydberg atoms. This method may provide an independent, atom-based, SI-traceable method for measuring mm-wave electric fields, which addresses a gap in current calibration techniques in the mm-wave regime. The electric- field amplitude within a rubidium vapor cell in the WR-10 waveguide band is measured for frequencies of 93 GHz, and 104 GHz. Relevant aspects of Autler-Townes splitting originating from a four-level electromagnetically induced transparency scheme are discussed. We measure the E-field generated by an open-ended waveguide using this technique. Experimental results are compared to a full-wave finite element simulation.