Experimental Sensitivity Enhancement of a Quantum Rydberg Atom-Based RF Receiver with a Metamaterial GRIN Lens
Abstract
We experimentally demonstrate enhanced sensitivity of an atom-based Rydberg radio frequency (RF) receiver integrated with a gradient refractive index (GRIN) Luneburg-type metamaterial lens. By analyzing the electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) effect in Cesium vapor, we compare receiver performance with and without the GRIN lens under a 2.2~GHz and a 3.6~GHz far-field excitation. Our measurements reveal a significant amplification of the EIT window when the lens is introduced, consistent with the theoretical prediction that the local E-field enhancement at the vapor cell reduces the minimum detectable electric field and improves the microwave electric field measurement sensitivity of the Rydberg atom-based RF receiver over an ultrawide bandwidth of the lens. This experimental validation demonstrates the potential of metamaterial-enhanced quantum RF sensing for a wide range of applications, such as electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) testing, quantum radar, and wireless communication.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2512.04298,
title = {Experimental Sensitivity Enhancement of a Quantum Rydberg Atom-Based RF Receiver with a Metamaterial GRIN Lens},
author = {Anton Tishchenko and Demos Serghiou and Ashwin Thelappilly Joy and Paul Marsh and Paul Martin and Tim Brown and Gabriele Gradoni and Mohsen Khalily and Rahim Tafazolli},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.04298},
year = {2026}
}