Rydberg atomic spectroscopy based on nanosecond pulsed laser excitation
Authors: CAI Ting , HE Jun , LIU Zhihui , LIU Yao , SU Nan , SHI Pengfei , JIN Gang , CHENG Yongjie , WANG Junmin ,   State Key Laboratory of Quantum Optics and Quantum Optics Devices, Institute of Opto-Electronics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China,   Beijing Institute of Radio Metrology and Measurement, Beijing 100039, China,   Collaborative Innovation Center of Extreme Optics, Shanxi University, Taiyuan 030006, China
Published: November 2024

<sec>Through the cascade excitation of 852-nm continuous-wave (CW) laser and 509-nm nanosecond pulsed laser, the electromagnetically-induced transparency (EIT) spectroscopic signals of ladder-type three-level cesium atoms with Rydberg state are obtained by using a room-temperature cesium vapor cell. The power of 509-nm pulsed laser beam is ~176 W, while the pulse repetition frequency ranges from 300 kHz to 100 MHz and can be continuously adjusted. The laser pulse duration runs from 1 to 100 ns and can be continuously adjusted. The relationship between Rydberg EIT spectroscopic signals and 509-nm nanosecond pulsed laser parameters is investigated experimentally. By changing the pulse repetition frequency and the pulse duration of the 509-nm nanosecond pulsed laser, the comb-like Rydberg atomic spectrum is obtained by using a room-temperature cesium vapor cell. Within a certain range of repetition frequency and pulse duration, the envelope of spectral lines shows a regular pattern, and the spacing between the transmission peaks is consistent with the pulse repetition frequency. By changing the 509-nm laser pulse repetition frequency and pulse duration, atoms with the specific velocity group can be excited to Rydberg state. </sec><sec>Reducing the repetition frequency of the 509-nm pulsed coupling laser can further increase the number of atoms in the Rydberg state in comparison with the case of finite velocity group pumping of cesium atoms by a continuous-wave laser. When the repetition frequency of the 509-nm pulsed laser approaches the EIT linewidth, the number of cesium Rydberg atoms can be increased by up to 10 times. In the parameter optimization process, the dynamic characteristics of pulsed excitation in multi-level atoms, as well as the interaction characteristics between arbitrarily shaped laser pulses and multi-level atomic systems, should be considered. Pulsed laser pumping can achieve the interaction between the laser field and atomic group with a specific velocity, and its developed atomic frequency comb spectra can be used for electric and magnetic field measurements. The multi-peak structure of the spectrum can be used to more accurately determine the intensity, frequency, and phase of the microwave electric field by measuring spectral variations. This high-sensitivity and high-resolution measurement capability is crucial for precisely measuring microwave electric fields. The pulsed coupling laser can excite atoms in a specific velocity group to the Rydberg state. High-density Rydberg atoms can improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the measured spectrum, which has potential applications in quantum sensing and quantum measurement based on Rydberg atoms.</sec>