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中国物理学会期刊

基于里德堡原子的远距离微波接收

Long-Distance Microwave Reception Based on Rydberg Atoms

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  • 里德堡原子因其极大的电偶极矩和极化率,被视为微波电场量子传感中极具潜力的研究路径,在计量基准、无线通信和雷达探测等领域具有广阔的应用前景。然而,基于里德堡原子的高灵敏度微波探测优势与实际工程应用之间长期存在着显著鸿沟,尤其是远距离弱信号接收能力尚未被充分验证。本文研制了基于铯原子阶梯型三能级体系的小型化里德堡原子微波接收样机,将超外差探测技术与微波谐振腔局域场增强技术协同融合,在室外真实环境下成功实现了20 km距离的微波信号接收。实验采用3.785 GHz的微波链路,发射端与接收端分别位于相距约20 km的两个山峰。通过将信号与本振场在原子气室内混频产生中频外差拍频信号,系统在5 Hz分辨率带宽下获得了20 dB的信噪比,对应微波探测灵敏度为-134 dBm/Hz。本文工作不仅验证了量子传感器在复杂室外环境中的远距离工作能力,也为基于量子体系的远程通信、雷达探测及频谱监测等技术发展提供了重要的实验基础与参考。

     

    Rydberg atoms, distinguished by their exceptionally large electric dipole moments and polarizabilities, have emerged as a compelling platform for microwave electric-field quantum sensing, offering promising prospects in metrology, wireless communication, and radar detection. Nevertheless, a persistent gap separates the high-sensitivity microwave detection capabilities of Rydberg atoms from practical engineering deployment—most notably, the ability to receive weak signals over long distances remains to be fully validated. Here, we develop a miniaturized Rydberg atomic microwave receiving prototype based on a cesium ladder-type three-level system, in which heterodyne detection is synergistically integrated with microwaveresonator local-field enhancement. We successfully demonstrate microwave signal reception over a distance of 20 km in an outdoor, real-world environment. The experiment employs a 3.785 GHz microwave link, with the transmitter and receiver stationed on two hilltops approximately 20 km apart. By mixing the signal with a local oscillator field inside the atomic vapor cell to generate an intermediate-frequency heterodyne beat signal, the system attains a signal-to-noise ratio of 20 dB at a resolution bandwidth of 5 Hz, corresponding to a microwave detection sensitivity of -134 dBm/Hz. This work not only validates the long-distance operational capability of quantum sensors in complex outdoor environments but also provides an important experimental foundation and reference for developing quantum-based remote communication, radar detection, and spectrum monitoring technologies.

     

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