Rydberg Atom Based Sensors: Radio-Frequency Field Detection to Remote Sensing and Other Receiving Applications

Atom-based measurements allow for unprecedented accuracy in measurement systems, and as a result, measurement standards have evolved towards atom-based measurements over the last few decades; most notably length (m), frequency (Hz), and time (s) standards. There has been a lot of process in recent years in the developing of Rydberg atom-based electric (E) field measurements, and these developments have led to numerous applications (Alexandra Artusio-Glimpse, Matthew T. Simons, Nikunjkumar Prajapati, and Christopher L. Holloway, “Modern RF Measurements with Hot Atoms”, IEEE Microwave Magazine, 44–46, May, 2022). In these Rydberg atom-based sensors, a conventional antenna (which relies on currents flowing on metal surfaces) is replaced with atomic-vapor placed inside glass cells, see Figure 1.