Speaker
Description
Rydberg atoms efficiently links photons between the radio-frequency (RF) and optical domains. They provide a medium in which the presence of an RF field imprints on the transmission of a probe laser beam by altering the coherent coupling between atomic quantum states. The immutable quantized energy structure of the atoms underpins quantum-metrological RF field measurements and has driven intensive efforts to realize inherently self-calibrated sensing devices. Here we investigate spectroscopic signatures owing to angular momentum quantisation of the atomic states utilized in an electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) sensing scheme. Specific combinations of atomic terms are shown to give rise to distinctive fingerprints in the detected optical fields upon rotating the RF field polarization.
The characteristic angular variation for a term combination is universal and independent of the atomic species involved. By examining two ostensibly similar angular momentum ladders, we unveil a striking complementarity in their spectroscopic responses. Our study adds an important new building block for quantum metrological electric field characterisation via Rydberg atomic polarimetry.
