Approaching the standard quantum limit of a Rydberg-atom microwave electrometer.

ABSTRACT: The development of a microwave electrometer with inherent uncertainty approaching its ultimate limit carries both fundamental and technological significance. However, because of the thermal motion of atoms, the state-of-art Rydberg electrometer falls considerably short of the standard quantum limit by about three orders of magnitude. Here, we use an optically thin medium with approximately 5.2 × 10⁵ laser-cooled atoms to implement the microwave heterodyne detection. By mitigating various noises and strategically optimizing the electrometer parameters, our study reduces the equivalent noise temperature by a factor of 20 and achieves an electric field sensitivity of 10.0 nV cm^-1 Hz^-1/2, lastly reaching a factor of 2.6 above the standard quantum limit. Our wor

SUBMITTER: Tu HT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11661427 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature