MHz to sub-kHz field detection with an all-dielectric potassium Rydberg-atom sensor

Abstract: Rydberg sensors have significant promise as an alternative to the antenna systems used for sub-MHz frequency communications, where the scale of high-efficiency antennas is often impractically large, forcing the use of low-efficiency, electrically small antennas. The exploration of Rydberg sensors at these frequencies has been hampered by the low field transmission of the silicate vapor cells. We dramatically improve the low-frequency field transmission of silicate vapor cells by using potassium as the active medium instead of rubidium or cesium. The potassium Rydberg sensor can measure fields with frequencies down to 500 Hz in an all-dielectric sensor, effectively extending the low-frequency cutoff of the sensor by nearly four orders of magnitude compared to an equivalent rubidium vapor cell. With this simple substitution, experimentation with low-frequency sensing becomes dramatically more accessible to the community.