Gerginov, V.
, da Silva, F.
, Nelson, C.
and Hati, A.
(2019),
An atomic sensor for direct detection of weak microwave signals, IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=927251
(Accessed October 16, 2025)
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An atomic sensor for direct detection of weak microwave signals
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Abstract
This paper demonstrates direct detection of weak signals at microwave frequencies based on parametric frequency conversion. The atomic medium is optically pumped by a resonant light field and prepared in a coherent atomic superposition by a weak microwave field. The coherent atomic superposition causes a parametric modulation of the polarization of a probe light field at the microwave field frequency. An upper limit magnetic field component sensitivity of 1.2(1.0) pT/Hz1/2, corresponding to 3.7(3.1)-µV/cm/Hz1/2 electric field component sensitivity, is achieved at ∼6.835 GHz with a 33-mm3 vapor cell.Citation
IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques
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Journals
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Keywords
atomic coherence, atomic magnetometer, microwave detection, parametric conversion
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Created August 16, 2019, Updated September 29, 2025