High-Resolution Quantum Sensing with Rydberg Atomic Receiver: Principles, Experiments and Future Prospects

Abstract: Quantum sensing using Rydberg atoms offers unprecedented opportunities for next-generation radar systems, transcending classical limitations in miniaturization and spectral agility. Implementing this paradigm for radar sensing, this work proposes a quantum-enhanced radar reception architecture enabled by the emerging Rydberg atomic receiver, replacing conventional antenna-to-mixer chains with a centimeter-scale vapor cell. The proposed approach is based on electromagnetically induced transparency with the Autler-Townes splitting enabling direct RF-to-optical downconversion within the atomic medium via an external co-frequency reference. To circumvent the intrinsic bottleneck on instantaneous bandwidth of atomic receiver, we invoke a non-uniform stepped-frequency synthesis strategy combining coarse laser frequency tuning with fine AC-Stark shift compensation. Additionally, we establish a nonlinear response model of the Rydberg atomic homodyne receiver and propose a customized nonlinear compensation method that extends the linear dynamic range by over 7 dB. We develop a compressive sensing algorithm (CS-Rydberg) to suppress noise and mitigate the undersampling problem. Experimentally, we demonstrate a compact prototype achieving centimeter-level ranging precision (RMSE = 1.06 cm) within 1.6-1.9 m. By synthesizing GHz-bandwidth (2.6-3.6 GHz), resolvable target separations down to 15 cm are observed under controlled sparse scenarios. These results not only validate the feasibility of quantum sensing based on Rydberg atomic receivers but also underscore the architecture's inherent scalability: by harnessing the atoms' ultra-broad spectral response, the synthesized bandwidth can be extended well beyond the current range, enabling sub-centimeter resolution in future radar systems while preserving quantum-traceable calibration and a highly simplified front end.