2025/04/29 by Rob Behary, Behary, Rob, Kevin Su +20 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Molecular Physics #Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates #Quantum optics and atomic interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2504.21144
We demonstrate an all-optical, minimally invasive method for electron beam (e-beam) characterization using Rydberg electrometry. The e-beam passes through a dilute Rb vapor prepared in a quantum superposition of ground and Rydberg states that reduces resonant absorption in a narrow spectral region. Imaging the modifications of Rb fluorescence due to shifts in the Rydberg state from the e-beam electric field allows us to reconstruct e-beam width, centroid position, and current. We experimentally demonstrate this technique using a 20 keV e-beam in the range of currents down to 20 μA, and discuss technical challenges produced by environmental electric potentials in the detection chamber. Overall, we demonstrate the promising potential of such an approach as a minimally invasive diagnostic for charged particle beams.