Atomic-optical interferometry in fractured loops: a general solution for Rydberg radio frequency receivers

TL;DR

This paper introduces a novel Fourier-based modeling approach for complex atom-light interactions in fractured loops, enabling accurate predictions of boundary parameters in Rydberg radio frequency receivers.

Contribution

It presents a new method for modeling atom-light interactions in fractured loops, improving the understanding of boundary detection parameters in atomic RF receivers.

Findings

Effective numerical modeling of fractured loop interactions.

Prediction of saturation and bandwidth boundaries.

Complete description of Rydberg superheterodyne receiver operation.

Abstract

The development of novel radio frequency atomic receivers brings attention to the theoretical description of atom-light interactions in sophisticated, multilevel schemes. Of special interest, are the schemes where several interaction paths interfere with each other, bringing about the phase-sensitive measurement of detected radio fields. In the theoretical modeling of those cases, the common assumptions are often insufficient to determine the boundary detection parameters, such as receiving bandwidth or saturation point, critical for practical considerations of atomic sensing technology. This evokes the resurfacing of a long-standing problem on how to describe an atom-light interaction in a fractured loop. In such a case, the quantum steady state is not achieved even with constant, continuous interactions. Here we propose a method for modeling of such a system, basing our approach on the Fourier expansion of a non-equilibrium steady state. The proposed solution is both numerically effective and able to predict edge cases, such as saturation. Furthermore, as an example, we employ this method to provide a complete description of a Rydberg superheterodyne receiver, obtaining the boundary parameters describing the operation of this atomic detector.