PORTABLE SELF-CALIBRATED RYDBERG ELECTRIC FIELD PROBE FOR ANTENNA MEASUREMENTS - EXPRO+

Objective:To design and realize a first European portable self-calibrated SI-traceable Rydberg atom-based Electric field probe.Description:Accurate measurement of electric fields is crucial for the development and operation of RF communicationsystems, particularly in space missions. Conventional antennas need fine calibration for high-integrity reception. The calibration is performed by placing uncalibrated antennas in a known EM (electromagnetic) environment that is measured via a well-calibrated antenna which creates a dependency. Whereas Rydberg based receivers allow precise measurements of RF signals which is directly related to Planck's constant and hence can self-calibrate by relying on SI (international system of units)-traceable atomic standards The activity aims to develop a portable, self-calibrated Rydberg atom based electric field probe.The probe is based on the interaction of RF-fields with Rydberg atoms, where alkali atoms are excited opticallyto Rydberg states and the applied RF-field alters the resonant state of the atoms. For this probe, the Rydbergatoms are placed in a glass vapor cell. The vapor cell acts like an RF-to-optical transducer, converting an RF Efield to an optical frequency response. The probe utilizes the concept of Electromagnetic Induced Transition (EIT), where the RF transition in the four-level atomic system causes a split of the transition spectrum for the pump laser. This splitting is measured and is directly proportional to the applied RF field amplitude. Therefore, by measuring this splitting, we get a direct measurement of the RF E-field strength. This technique could allow traceable measurements over a large frequency band including 1-500GHz. The new approach has the following benefits: 1) it will allow direct SI units linked RF E-field measurements, 2) It is self-calibrating due to atomic resonances, 3) it will provide RF field measurements independent of current techniques, 4) the probe will not perturb the field during the measurement, since no metal is present in the probe.This activity encompasses the following tasks:-Assessment of different Rydberg atom-based methods of detection of RF fields.- Requirement consolidation and performance assessment.- Detailed concept design with analysis of critical functions.- Development of the breadboard and verification in relevant environment.- Development of a technology roadmap for an EQM.