Army Researchers Have Built a Quantum Sensor That Supports Radio Frequency SpectrotZero to
A Rydberg sensor uses laser beams to create highly excited Rydberg atoms directly above a microwave circuit to magnify and sharpen a portion of the spectrum being measured.
Rydberg atoms are sensitive to circuit voltage, which allows the device to be used as a sensitive probe for a wide range of signals in the RF spectrum.
Researchers excite rubidium atoms tohigh-energy Rydberg states. The atoms interact strongly with the electric fields of the circuit, which allows any signal entering the circuit to be detected and demodulated.
All previous demonstrations of atomic sensorsRydberg were only able to sense small and specific regions of the radio frequency spectrum, but now our design is the first to operate continuously over a wide range of frequencies.
Kevin Cox, researcher at the US Army Combat Capabilities Command
The Rydberg spectrum analyzer can exceed the fundamental limitations of traditional electronics in sensitivity, bandwidth and frequency response.
The researchers are planning additional developments to improve the signal sensitivity of the Rydberg spectrum analyzer in an effort to outperform existing current technologies.
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