Non-destructive Sensitivity Enhancement of Portable Atomic Antenna Using a Metallic Mesh Resonator

Rydberg-atom antennas have the remarkable advantages of non-destructive and high sensitivity for RF telecommunications. However, current implementations are carried out on the optical platform of the laboratory, which exhibits low levels of equipment miniaturization and lacks mobility and integration for movement from the laboratory to outdoor testing. This article proposes a portable atomic antenna with a waveguide-integrated metallic mesh resonator (MMR) to synergize these methods, aiming for system integration and improving sensitivity for deep-space exploration applications. We developed modular 852 nm and 509 nm fiber systems, laser frequency locking architecture. Thus, a portable atomic antenna is realized with a smaller volume (0.1 × 0.25 × 0.3 m<sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">3</sup>), lighter weight (26 kg), and narrow probe laser linewidth (5.4 kHz). Experimental investigations were conducted at 8.3 GHz using a vapor cell in the resonators. Spectral measurements indicate that the MMR provides enhancement factors of 24.5 dB. The MMR achieves continuous frequency reconfiguration across 7.49-8.78 GHz by mechanical tuning while significantly reducing field distortions compared to traditional pin-based tuning systems. When MMR was used for Rydberg atomic heterodyning, the sensitivity improved significantly 14:3 nv/cm/√Hz, which is a 24.5 dB improvement in sensitivity than when MMR was not used. This research represents a significant low-SWaP advancement toward the practical application of Rydberg atomic antennas.