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arXiv · 1805.09808

Quantum-Limited Atomic Receiver in the Electrically Small Regime

Kevin C. Cox·David H. Meyer·Fredrik K. Fatemi·Paul D. Kunz
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Abstract

We use a quantum sensor based on thermal Rydberg atoms to receive data encoded in electromagnetic fields in the extreme electrically small regime, with a sensing volume over $10^7$ times smaller than the cube of the electric field wavelength. We introduce the standard quantum limit for data capacity, and experimentally observe quantum-limited data reception for bandwidths from 10~kHz up to 30~MHz. In doing this, we provide a useful alternative to classical communication antennas, which become increasingly ineffective when the size of the antenna is significantly smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic field.

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Kevin C. Cox, David H. Meyer, Fredrik K. Fatemi, Paul D. Kunz. 2018-06-19. Quantum-Limited Atomic Receiver in the Electrically Small Regime. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.121.110502

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