Radio-frequency field modulation underlies nearly all modern communication, from car radios to wifi. Despite being a mature technology first developed in the late nineteenth century, radio communication has several ongoing challenges including information security, increasing bandwidth by tapping the microwave- and mm-wave regimes, and improving resilience against electromagnetic interference (EMI). An exciting prospect to solving many of these challenges lies in replacing antenna technology with quantum technologies. In this talk, I will describe the recent development at Rydberg Technologies of a fundamentally new atomic receiver technology for AM and FM radio communication [1, 2]. The atomic receiver exploits the properties of Rydberg atoms, highly excited atomic states that are very sensitive to electromagnetic fields, to collect and demodulate AM and FM radio based on atomic spectroscopy in compact room-temperature vapor cells. Features of the atomic receiver include its small size, ability detect carrier-waves spanning several octaves, and a circuit-free detector element. Even in this first demonstration, the bandwidth and dynamic range are sufficient to receive human vocals.

References:

[1] D.A. Anderson, R.E. Saprio, G. Raithel, ‘An Atomic receiver for AM and FM radio communication,” (2018) https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.08589

[2] Rydberg Technologies www.RydbergTechnologies.com

In the news:

'Get ready for atomic radio,' MIT Technology Review 2018 https://www.technologyreview.com/s/611977/get-ready-for-atomic-radio/