Quantum radio frequency
Quantum radio frequency (QRF) is a technology that uses Rydberg atoms to detect the Radio frequency spectrum. The RF spectrum is composed of electric fields that are usually detected by antennas. The problem with antennas is that they are large, can detect only a narrow frequency of the RF spectrum at a time, and are hard to maintain. QRF on the other hand, is small, self maintaining and can detect a range of frequencies in the RF spectrum from MHz to kHZ[1]. QRF was invented in 2017 and has been used to build radios and television[2] [3].
Overview
The large electric dipole moments of Rydberg atoms make them sensitive to electric fields. Since the atom structure can be detected by light, information about the field can be extracted via electromagnetically induced transparency. A laser tuned to a specific frequency is applied to the rydberg atoms. This makes the atoms transparent. A second laser is then used to measure how much light is absorbed. The measurement of the amount of absorption with a photodiode or a photodetector is used to monitor changes in the radio waves which can be converted to audio.[4] [5]
See also
References
- ↑ "NIST Team Shows Atoms Can Receive Common Communications Signals". September 5, 2019. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2019/09/nist-team-shows-atoms-can-receive-common-communications-signals.
- ↑ Stack, Daniel; Rodenburg, Bradon; Pappas, Stephen; Su, Wangshen; St. John, Marc; Kunz, Paul; Simon, Matt; Gordon, Joshua et al. (2017). "Rydberg Dipole Antennas". 2017. pp. T9.006. https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/2017APS..DMP.T9006S. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ "Watch NIST’s ‘Atomic Television’ Live and in Color". August 17, 2022. https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2022/08/watch-nists-atomic-television-live-and-color.
- ↑ Anderson, David Alexander; Sapiro, Rachel Elizabeth; Raithel, Georg (2021). "An Atomic Receiver for AM and FM Radio Communication". IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation 69 (5): 2455–2462. doi:10.1109/TAP.2020.2987112. https://doi.org/10.1109/TAP.2020.2987112. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
- ↑ Holloway, Christopher L.; Simons, Matthew T.; Haddab, Abdulaziz H.; Williams, Carl J.; Holloway, Maxwell W. (June 2019). "A “real-time” guitar recording using Rydberg atoms and electromagnetically induced transparency: Quantum physics meets music". AIP Advances 9 (6): 065110. doi:10.1063/1.5099036. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5099036. Retrieved 21 October 2025.
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