Enhanced Sensitivity in Rydberg Atom Electric Field Sensors through Autler-Townes Effect and Two-Photon Absorption: A Theoretical Analysis Using Many-Mode Floquet Theory

TL;DR

This theoretical study demonstrates how incorporating a coupling electric field and many-mode Floquet theory can significantly enhance the sensitivity of Rydberg atom electric field sensors by exploiting Autler-Townes splitting and two-photon absorption effects.

Contribution

The paper introduces a many-mode Floquet theory approach to improve Rydberg atom sensor sensitivity by leveraging Autler-Townes effect and two-photon absorption phenomena.

Findings

Enhanced sensitivity through Autler-Townes splitting.

Control of two-photon resonances via coupling field adjustments.

Extended off-resonance detection capabilities.

Abstract

In this paper, we present a comprehensive investigation into the sensitivity of a Rydberg atom electric field sensor, with a specific focus on the minimum detectable field (MDF) as a key metric. The study utilizes one-mode Floquet theory to calculate the Stark shift for selected Rydberg states when exposed to a signal electric field. The results are compared to those obtained using the rotating wave approximation (RWA). To enhance the sensor's sensitivity when the frequency of the signal electric field deviates from resonance frequencies between Rydberg states, we propose incorporating an extra coupling electric field and using many-mode Floquet theory, a generalization of one-mode Floquet theory, to theoretically analyze this kind of Rydberg atom electric field sensor. The Autler-Townes effect resulting from this coupling electric field causes Rydberg states to split into dressed states, effectively increasing sensitivity by modulating the frequencies of resonance peaks. Moreover, the phenomenon of two-photon absorption in the presence of the coupling electric field is explored. We demonstrate that by appropriately adjusting the coupling electric field's amplitude or frequency, one can control the occurrence of two-photon resonances, providing additional sensitivity enhancement for the Rydberg sensor within the significantly extended off-resonance domain. The study underscores the significance of coupling fields in enhancing the sensitivity of Rydberg atom electric field sensors. These insights hold promising implications for the development of more robust and versatile electric field sensing devices, applicable in diverse fields such as precision measurements and quantum information processing.