Coldquanta, Inc.

University of Colorado

Jayson Denney

Dana Zachary Anderson

Evan Salim

Farhad Majdeteimouri

Zorana B Popovic

A microwave sensor determines an electric-field strength of a microwave field populated by quantum particles in an ultra-high vacuum (UHV) cell. A probe laser beam and a coupling laser beam are directed into the UHV cell so that they are generally orthogonal to each other and intersect to define a 'Rydberg' intersection, so-called as the quantum particles within the Rydberg intersection transition to a pair of Rydberg states. The frequency of the probe laser beam is swept so that a frequency spectrum of the probe laser beam can be captured. The frequency spectrum is analyzed to determine a frequency difference between Autler-Townes peaks. The electric-field strength of the microwave field within the Rydberg intersection is then determined based on this frequency difference.

Microwave sensor using Autler-Townes splitting

Microwave sensor using autler-townes splitting

A 3D microwave sensor includes a cloud of particles, e.g., rubidium 87 atoms. A laser system produces: a first probe beam directed through the particle cloud along a first path; a second probe beam directed through the particle cloud along a second path that intersects the first path to define a Rydberg intersection; a first coupling beam that counterpropagates with respect to the first probe beam along the first path; and a second coupling beam that counterpropagates with respect to the second probe beam along the second path. A spectrum analyzer characterizes the microwave field strength at the Rydberg intersection. The laser beams can be steered to move the Rydberg intersection within the particle cloud to compile a microwave field strength distribution in the particle cloud.

Rydberg-particle-based 3D microwave sensor

A microwave sensor includes a cloud of particles, e.g., Rubidium 87 atoms. A probe laser beam transitions ground-state particles in its path to an excited state. A set of one or more coupling laser beams causes excited particles to transition to a first Rydberg state so that particles in the intersection of the laser beams are in a dark superposition which is transparent to the probe laser beam so that a frequency spectrum of the probe laser beam shows a transmission peak at the laser frequency. A microwave lens focuses a microwave vector (e.g., a microwave signal) within the intersection, causing particles in the first Rydberg state to transition to a second Rydberg state, splitting the transmission peak into a pair of peaks. The intensity of the microwave vector can be calculated based on the frequency difference between the pair of peaks. The direction of the microwave vector can be determined from the location of the laser-beam intersection.

Growing community of inventors

Denver, CO, United States of America

Jayson Denney