The effect of electric field inhomogeneity in Rydberg atom-based electric field sensing

Published

March 8, 2023

Author(s)

Samuel Berweger, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, Andrew Rotunno, Alexandra Artusio-Glimpse, Matthew Simons, Christopher Holloway

Abstract

The use of Rydberg atoms for radio frequency electric field sensing has emerged as a promising alternative to traditional antenna-based designs that enables all-optial readout. However, the need for atomic vapor cells comprised of dielectric materials can adversely affect the electric field distribution at the probing volume. Here we describe the effects of electric field inhomogeneity on measured optical electrically induced transparency (EIT) spectra. This is accomplished using custom-designed waveguide-embedded atomic vapor cells with stub tuners that allow control of the degree of electric field inhomogeneity within the cell. We describe the resulting broadening of the measured EIT feature and the associated reduction in magnitude, which results in an overall reduced sensitivity of the resulting measurement.

Proceedings Title

Proceedings of SPIE

Conference Dates

January 28-February 2, 2023

Conference Location

San Francisco, CA, US

Conference Title

Photonics West

Pub Type

Conferences

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2650532

Local Download

Keywords

Rydberg Atom, Electrometry, Electromagnetically Induced Transparency

Citation

Berweger, S. , Prajapati, N. , Rotunno, A. , Artusio-Glimpse, A. , SIMONS, M. and Holloway, C. (2023), The effect of electric field inhomogeneity in Rydberg atom-based electric field sensing, Proceedings of SPIE, San Francisco, CA, US, [online], https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2650532, https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936030 (Accessed October 9, 2025)