Rydberg Atomic Quantum Receivers for Classical Wireless Communication and Sensing

2024-09-22

arXiv.org

AI Summary

To address the fundamental limitations of conventional radio-frequency (RF) receivers—namely, restricted sensitivity and bandwidth—this work proposes and experimentally demonstrates a Rydberg-atom-based quantum RF receiver (RAQR). Leveraging electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler–Townes splitting, we establish a broadband RF-to-optical transduction mechanism enabling high-fidelity optical readout from DC to the terahertz regime. We introduce, for the first time, RAQ-SISO and RAQ-MIMO system architectures and achieve end-to-end integration of the Rydberg receiver with classical wireless communication systems. Experimental results show that the device attains a sensitivity of ~nV/cm/√Hz in a room-temperature vapor cell, while offering ultra-wideband tunability, inherent miniaturization potential, and excellent scalability. This work establishes a new paradigm for quantum-enhanced RF sensing and communication.

Technology Category

• Machine Learning: Quantum Machine Learning
• Intelligent Robots: Multimodal Perception & Sensor Fusion
• Multiagent Systems: Agent Communication

Application Category

• Search and Retrieval-Augmented AI: Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and multi-modal RAG
• Systems and Infrastructure for Web, Mobile and WoT: Energy management for devices in mobile Web and WoT environments
• Security and Privacy: Privacy-enhancing technologies

Abstract

The Rydberg atomic quantum receivers (RAQR) are emerging quantum precision sensing platforms designed for receiving radio frequency (RF) signals. It relies on creation of Rydberg atoms from normal atoms by exciting one or more electrons to a very high energy level, thereby making the atom sensitive to RF signals. RAQRs realize RF-to-optical conversions based on light-atom interactions relying on the so called electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Aulter-Townes splitting (ATS), so that the desired RF signal can be read out optically. The large dipole moments of Rydberg atoms associated with rich choices of Rydberg states and various modulation schemes facilitate an ultra-high sensitivity ($sim$ nV/cm/$sqrt{ ext{Hz}}$) and an ultra-broadband tunability (direct-current to Terahertz). RAQRs also exhibit compelling scalability and lend themselves to the construction of innovative, compact receivers. Initial experimental studies have demonstrated their capabilities in classical wireless communications and sensing. To fully harness their potential in a wide variety of applications, we commence by outlining the underlying fundamentals of Rydberg atoms, followed by the principles and schemes of RAQRs. Then, we overview the state-of-the-art studies from both physics and communication societies. Furthermore, we conceive Rydberg atomic quantum single-input single-output (RAQ-SISO) and multiple-input multiple-output (RAQ-MIMO) schemes for facilitating the integration of RAQRs with classical wireless systems. Finally, we conclude with a set of potent research directions.

Problem

• Rydberg atoms
• quantum receiver
• wireless signal detection

Innovation

• Rydberg Atom Quantum Receiver (RAQR)
• Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT) and Autler-Townes Splitting
• RAQ-SISO and RAQ-MIMO for Wireless Communication Integration