RYDBERG TECHNOLOGIES INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase II: SB152-003

Description

In EMC/EMI testing there is a demand for broadband (MHz to THz), self-calibrating, small, robust, and wide-dynamic-range detectors for electric fields up to about 10kV/m. Advanced field sensors are important in the expanding EMC/EMI testing industry, which serves aerospace, defense, automotive, telecommunications, safety, and security. Rydberg Technologies LLC (RT) is developing a new line of atom-based sensors that exploit the response of Rydberg atoms enclosed in small spectroscopic cells to the fields being measured. The atomic response is probed using a pair of laser beams routed to the cell via fiber-optics. In Phase II, RT will design and fabricate field probes that satisfy these described needs. The lasers, stabilization and data-processing components will be integrated into a control unit that connects via the fiber-optic cord to a robust, multi-range, light-weight field probe. The measurement system computes the RF electric field by matching the collected spectroscopic data with entries in a database of calculated spectra. A prototype measurement system will be demonstrated. In a Phase-II option and Phase III, the system will be integrated, made compact and ruggedized to realize a minimum viable product serving the ever-expanding needs of modern EMC/EMI testing.In EMC/EMI testing there is a demand for broadband (MHz to THz), self-calibrating, small, robust, and wide-dynamic-range detectors for electric fields up to about 10kV/m. Advanced field sensors are important in the expanding EMC/EMI testing industry, which serves aerospace, defense, automotive, telecommunications, safety, and security. Rydberg Technologies LLC (RT) is developing a new line of atom-based sensors that exploit the response of Rydberg atoms enclosed in small spectroscopic cells to the fields being measured. The atomic response is probed using a pair of laser beams routed to the cell via fiber-optics. In Phase II, RT will design and fabricate field probes that satisfy these described needs. The lasers, stabilization and data-processing components will be integrated into a control unit that connects via the fiber-optic cord to a robust, multi-range, light-weight field probe. The measurement system computes the RF electric field by matching the collected spectroscopic data with entries in a database of calculated spectra. A prototype measurement system will be demonstrated. In a Phase-II option and Phase III, the system will be integrated, made compact and ruggedized to realize a minimum viable product serving the ever-expanding needs of modern EMC/EMI testing.