Rydberg Atomic Quantum Receivers for Classical Wireless Communications and Sensing: Their Models and Performance
The absence of a rigorous system-level model and quantitative performance characterization for Rydberg atom quantum receivers (RAQRs) impedes their integration into classical wireless communication and sensing systems. Method: This paper establishes, for the first time, an end-to-end RAQR reception scheme and its equivalent baseband signal model, introducing a unified analytical framework that jointly incorporates quantum sensing, optical detection, and RF modeling. Contribution/Results: We derive fundamental theoretical gain bounds for RAQRs relative to classical RF receivers, demonstrating ≥27 dB and ≥40 dB improvements in received signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) under photon shot-noise-limited and standard quantum-limited conditions, respectively. These results fill critical gaps in RAQR system modeling, performance quantification, and design guidance for classical infrastructure. The work provides a verifiable theoretical foundation and actionable engineering pathway toward quantum-enhanced wireless technologies.