arXiv subjects

David S. La Mantia

Publications and source records attributed to David S. La Mantia.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Profiling a Rydberg-Atom Electric Field Sensor for Off-Resonant Detection of Sub-100 MHz RF Signals

We present a Rydberg-Atom electric field sensor optimized to detect signals at sub-100 MHz carrier frequencies. The sensing setup employs a sapphire vapor cell that allows for detection of signals below 100~MHz -- typical vapor cells made of glass or quartz demonstrate strong screening of radio frequency (RF) signals in this frequency regime. Applied signals are detected by observing AC Stark shifts in the atomic vapor energy levels. As a test case for the commercial utility of this receiver, we perform our tests at several carrier frequencies in the Industrial, Scientific, and Medical (ISM) band. At each carrier frequency, we report sensitivity, minimum detectable field, and detectable electric-field dynamic range. We also present a routine for optimizing off-resonant signal detection by tuning experimental parameters such as Rydberg coupler laser detuning and RF local oscillator strength. This Python-based optimization routine, which can be used at any off-resonant carrier frequency, is shared on Github for others to use in their own investigations.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2026

Calibration of electric fields in low-frequency off-resonant Rydberg receivers

We present results on Rydberg atom-based electric field sensing in the range of 1 kHz - 300 MHz, using a three-photon Rydberg excitation scheme and a transverse electromagnetic (TEM) line waveguide to apply low-frequency rf fields to the cell. Measurements of low-frequency screening in quartz and sapphire vapor cells show excellent agreement with a phenomenological model of the effective vapor cell material properties based on an electrical 2-port measurement of the TEM line. We achieve a best noise-equivalent field of 106(4) $\mathrm{\frac{μV}{m \sqrt{Hz}}}$ at 300 MHz and characterize noise-equivalent fields in the ultra-low to very-low frequency (ULF-VLF) band.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Compact Blackbody Radiation Atomic Sensor: Measuring Temperature using Optically Excited Atoms in Vapor Cells

We demonstrate a blackbody radiation thermometer based on optically excited rubidium atoms in a vapor cell. The temperature measurement is fast, with statistical uncertainty as low as 0.1% in one second. We resolve temperature with a precision of 0.04% in the range 308 K to 344 K when averaging for several seconds. Additionally, we describe an extension to this measurement scheme where the device operates as a self-calibrated, or primary, thermometer. We make progress toward realizing a primary thermometer by demonstrating a temperature-dependent self-consistent calibration scheme, with temperature accuracy of order 1% limited by the uncertainty in atomic transition dipole matrix elements.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Primary quantum thermometry of mm-wave blackbody radiation via induced state transfer in Rydberg states of cold atoms

Rydberg states of alkali atoms are highly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation in the GHz-to-THz regime because their transitions have large electric dipole moments. Consequently, environmental blackbody radiation (BBR) can couple Rydberg states together at $μ$s timescales. Here, we track the BBR-induced transfer of a prepared Rydberg state to its neighbors and use the evolution of these state populations to characterize the BBR field at the relevant wavelengths, primarily at 130 GHz. We use selective field ionization readout of Rydberg states with principal quantum number $n\sim30$ in $^{85}$Rb and substantiate our ionization signal with a theoretical model. With this detection method, we measure the associated blackbody-radiation-induced time dynamics of these states, reproduce the results with a simple semi-classical population transfer model, and demonstrate that this measurement is temperature sensitive with a statistical sensitivity to the fractional temperature uncertainty of 0.09 Hz$^{-1/2}$, corresponding to 26 K$\cdot$Hz$^{-1/2}$ at room temperature. This represents a calibration-free SI-traceable temperature measurement, for which we calculate a systematic fractional temperature uncertainty of 0.006, corresponding to 2 K at room temperature when used as a primary temperature standard.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2024

Spectroscopy of laser cooling transitions in MgF

We measure the complete set of transition frequencies necessary to laser cool and trap MgF molecules. Specifically, we report the frequency of multiple low $J$ transitions of the $X^2Σ^+(v^{\prime\prime}=0,1) \rightarrow A^2Π_{1/2}(v^\prime=0)$, $X^2Σ^+(v^{\prime\prime}=1,2) \rightarrow A^2Π_{1/2}(v^\prime=1)$, and $X^2Σ^+(v^{\prime\prime}=1) \rightarrow B^2Σ^+(v^{\prime}=0)$ bands of MgF. The measured $X^2Σ^+(v^{\prime\prime}=1)\rightarrow B^2Σ^+(v^\prime=0)$ spectrum allowed the spin-rotation and hyperfine parameters of the $B^2Σ^+(v=0)$ state of MgF to be determined. Furthermore, we demonstrate optical cycling in MgF by pumping molecules into the $X^2Σ^+(v=1,2)$ states. Optical pumping enhances the spectroscopic signals of transitions originating in the $N^{\prime\prime}=1$ level of the $X^2Σ^+(v^{\prime\prime}=1,2)$ states.

physics.atom-ph↗