Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock ( ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Rydberg Atoms for One-Step Traceability for Sensing Electric Fields

Published

Author(s)

Aly Artusio-Glimpse, Christopher L. Holloway, Matt Simons, Nik Prajapati, Drew Rotunno, Samuel Berweger, Kaleb Campbell, Maitreyi Jayaseelan

Abstract

Absolute electric field measurements present a "chicken-and-egg" situation where calibration of field probes relies on accurate knowledge of the field while precise determination of the field involves measurements with a calibrated probe. Metrology institutes overcome this dilemma by employing careful geometric measurements, Maxwell's equations, and a long chain of calibrations to determine absolute field strength with order of 5% uncertainty. We describe an alternative approach using Rydberg atoms that ties radio frequency electric field strength to Planck's constant through calculable quantum properties of the atoms for improved accuracy and simplicity. In addition to improved calibrations, Rydberg atom probes can be used as sensors and receivers for a wide swath of applications that we describe.
Proceedings Title
SMSI Conference
Conference Dates
May 8-11, 2023
Conference Location
Nuremberg, DE
Conference Title
Science and Measurement Science International

Keywords

Rydberg atoms, electrometry, revised SI, radio frequency, sensing, communications

Citation

Artusio-Glimpse, A. , Holloway, C. , Simons, M. , Prajapati, N. , Rotunno, D. , Berweger, S. , Campbell, K. and Jayaseelan, M. (2023), Rydberg Atoms for One-Step Traceability for Sensing Electric Fields, SMSI Conference, Nuremberg, DE, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=936283 (Accessed December 5, 2024)

Issues

If you have any questions about this publication or are having problems accessing it, please contact reflib@nist.gov.

Created May 8, 2023, Updated March 21, 2023