A Rydberg-Atom Radio Receiver Tuned to Transit-Law Carriers

Radio reception with highly excited atoms replaces the antenna and amplifier chain with an optical readout of atomic levels whose transition frequencies are set by the principal quantum number. This paper computes the tuning range and field sensitivity of such a receiver intended for narrowband carriers whose spacing follows a transit-law pattern. For principal quantum numbers from 40 to 70 the dipole-coherence model gives a best electric-field sensitivity of 2.54e-06 V per metre per root hertz at n = 70, averaged at a 10 kHz shot rate with a coherence time of 10 microseconds. Each value of n selects a different carrier band, so a single vapour cell with laser tuning covers the set without interchangeable antennas. The receiver is a design study: sensitivities are computed bounds from the stated model, not measurements.