Selective Field Ionization of Rydberg Atoms in a Vapor Cell

David S La Mantia; Andrew P Rotunno; Nikunjkumar Prajapati; Matthew T Simons; Christopher L Holloway; Eric Norrgard; Stephen P Eckel

Selective Field Ionization of Rydberg Atoms in a Vapor Cell

POSTER

Abstract

Rydberg atoms are natural radiation sensors due to their enhanced sensitivity to electric fields. Efforts are underway at the National Institute of Standards & Technology to use Rydberg atoms as calibration-free, SI-traceable sensors of thermal radiation, i.e., blackbody radiation (BBR), Rydberg atoms have the potential to characterize reference blackbodies at the 100 ppm level¹ or better, greatly reducing the calibration uncertainty for classical thermal radiation sensors. To this end, a novel system has been developed to perform selective field ionization² (SFI) on Rydberg atoms in a vapor cell for population read out after BBR-induced state transfer. SFI has previously been performed in a beam experiment³ or a magneto-optical trap⁴ where very good background pressures and electron multiplication techniques allow efficient detection of the liberated electrons. Here, we discuss this new device which allows detection of field-ionized Rydberg atoms in a vapor cell without the aid of in-vacuum electronic multiplication.

¹E.B. Norrgard, S.P. Eckel, C.L. Holloway, and E.L. Shirley. New Journal of Physics 23, 033037 (2021).

²T. F. Gallagher, L. M. Humphrey, W. E. Cooke, R. M. Hill, and S. A. Edelstein. Physical Review A 16, 1098 (1977).

³E. J. Galvez, J. R. Lewis, B. Chaudhuri, J. J. Rasweiler, H. Latvakoski, F. De Zela, E. Massoni, and H. Castillo. Physical Review A 51, 4010 (1995).

⁴V. C. Gregoric, J. J. Bennett, B. R. Gualtieri, A. Kannad, Z. C. Liu, Z. A. Rowley, T. J. Carrol, and M. W. Noel. Physical Review A 98, 063404 (2018).

Presenters

David S La Mantia

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 208995, Clemson University, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Authors

David S La Mantia

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, 208995, Clemson University, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Andrew P Rotunno

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Nikunjkumar Prajapati

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Matthew T Simons

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Boulder, National Institute of Standards and Technology Boulder, National Institute of Standards and Technology
Christopher L Holloway

National Institute of Standards and Technology
Eric Norrgard

National Institute of Standards and Technology
Stephen P Eckel

National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, National Institute of Standards and Technology