Modulation transfer protocol for Rydberg RF receivers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a modulation transfer protocol that enhances the sensitivity and bandwidth of Rydberg RF receivers by using phase modulation and nonlinear wave-mixing to detect weak RF fields more effectively.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel modulation transfer protocol based on phase modulation and wave-mixing, improving Rydberg RF receiver sensitivity and bandwidth.

Findings

Enhanced detection sensitivity to weak RF fields.

Increased RF bandwidth of the sensor.

Good agreement with semi-classical simulations.

Abstract

We propose and demonstrate a modulation transfer protocol to increase the detection sensitivity of a Rydberg RF receiver to fields out of resonance from the transition between Rydberg levels. This protocol is based on a phase modulation of the control field used to create the Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) signal. The nonlinear wave-mixing of the multi-component coupling laser and the probe laser transfers the modulation to the probe laser, which is used for RF-field detection. The measurements compare well with semi-classical simulations of atom-light interaction and show an improvement in the RF bandwidth of the sensor and an improved sensitivity of the response to weak fields.