Microwave magnetic field imaging based on Rabi resonance with an alkali-atom vapor cell

TL;DR

This paper presents a novel microwave magnetic field imaging method using Rabi resonance in a cesium vapor cell, enabling spatial mapping of microwave fields with a camera-based setup.

Contribution

The work introduces a simple, camera-based Rabi resonance imaging technique for microwave magnetic fields using an alkali-atom vapor cell, suitable for compact sensors.

Findings

Successful spatial mapping of microwave magnetic fields.

High quantum efficiency camera captures Rabi resonance signals.

Potential for compact MW field sensors and biomedical imaging.

Abstract

In this work, we demonstrate a microwave magnetic field imaging technique based on Rabi resonance with a cesium atom vapor cell. Rabi resonance signals are generated when atoms interact with a phase-modulated microwave (MW) field and are detected by a photodiode and camera. A low noise, high quantum efficiency camera is used to capture a series of frames for different phase modulation frequencies. Rabi frequencies of each spatial point in the field can be measured by scanning the frames. Thus, the strength of the MW magnetic field distribution is obtained by combing the Rabi frequencies, measured with camera pixels in the range of the probe laser beam. The simple architecture of this imaging setup holds great potential for the construction of compact/miniature MW field sensors for material testing, field imaging of MW components, and biomedical imaging.