Vapor cell Rydberg atom electrometry with time-separated fields

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel vapor cell Rydberg atom electrometry technique utilizing time-separated fields, achieving high sensitivity for microwave electric field detection through pulse methods and state-dependent optical detection.

Contribution

The work presents a new method combining vapor cell Rydberg atoms with time-separated fields for enhanced microwave electric field sensing, demonstrating improved sensitivity and coherence control.

Findings

Detected 10 GHz signals with 10 nV/cm/Hz$^{1/2}$ sensitivity

Studied relaxation dynamics of Rydberg coherence

Demonstrated state-dependent detection in vapor cells

Abstract

Rydberg atoms have large transition electric dipole moments and high sensitivity to electric fields. We describe a new method for microwave field sensing in a vapor cell consisting of separate excitation, quantum evolution between two Rydberg levels in the dark and state-dependent detection with probe laser transmission. Using microwave pulse techniques we study homogeneous and inhomogeneous relaxation of the coherence between Rydberg levels and demonstrate detection of a 10 GHz signal with electric field sensitivity of 10 nV/cm/Hz$^{1/2}$.