NIST Develops Revolutionary Electric Field Measurement Technology Using Rydberg Atoms
The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has developed a groundbreaking new technology for measuring high-frequency electric fields using Rydberg atoms. These atoms, with electrons in extremely high orbits around the nucleus, are highly sensitive to electric fields and can measure fields both far away and nearby.
The new prototypes, smaller than a sugar cube, use two intersecting laser beams in a vapor cell containing Rydberg atoms. The atoms become transparent to one laser beam (the probe beam) due to quantum mechanical effects. When an electric field from a radiofrequency (RF) wave is applied, the field changes the spectrum of the probe beam, allowing precise measurement of the applied electric field.
The technology allows for full characterization of an electric field, including amplitude, phase, and polarization, in one compact sensor. Current prototypes can detect electric field strengths down to approximately 46 µV/m with uncertainties of about 4%, significantly better than existing commercial instruments.
This new approach breaks the traditional “chicken-and-egg” dilemma of needing a calibrated probe to measure a known field. The technology has potential applications in next-generation wireless communications and radar systems operating at ultra-high electromagnetic frequencies.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/noac/technology/magnetic-and-electric-fields/electric-field-metrology
Keywords: Rydberg, Atomic, Electric, Field, Metrology
