2025/06/18 by Mignwei Lei, Jianquan Zhang, Lei, Mignwei +8 · 1 citation
Physics and Astronomy · #Atomic and Subatomic Physics Research #FOS: Physical sciences #Quantum Physics (quant-ph)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2506.15439
openalex publication_date 2025/06/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/19 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Rydberg-atom receivers aim for ultra-high sensitivity to microwave fields through various techniques, but receiving satellite signals has remained a significant challenge, due to the difficulty of capturing weak microwaves over long distances. In this work, we introduce a high-gain antenna to focus satellite signals, and then apply into an atomic cell via a microwave cavity. Using microwave-enhanced coupling, the minimum detectable power of incident microwave is down to -128 dBm, and the corresponding sensitivity is estimated as 21 nV/cm/Hz1/2 at frequency of 3.80 GHz. Furthermore, beacon signal from geostationary satellites is captured with Rydberg sensors for the first time, without the need for a low-noise amplifier. And C-band modulated signals are read out with a signal-to-noise ratio of 8 dB. Our results mark a significant breakthrough in facilitating satellite communications using Rydberg-atom receivers.