Wideband RF spectrum real-time monitor

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12032009-B2
Application number	US-202117350901-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 17, 2021
Priority date	Jun 26, 2020
Publication date	Jul 9, 2024
Grant date	Jul 9, 2024

Abstract

A sensor system comprises a laser source that emits a pump beam at a first wavelength and a probe beam at a second wavelength, and an optical means for receiving the pump and probe beams. The optical means is operative to generate a plurality of light beams, each having a different frequency, from the pump and probe beams. One or more cells receive the light beams from the optical means and allow passage of the light beams therethrough, with the cells containing alkali atoms. A dichroic filter is configured to receive the light beams from the cells. The dichroic filter separates pump beam light and probe beam light from the light beams. A detector array receives the probe beam light from the dichroic filter. The detector array includes a two-dimensional array of photosensors that map out transmission of respective light beams corresponding to the probe beam light through the cells.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A sensor system, comprising:
a laser source configured to emit a pump beam at a first wavelength and a probe beam at a second wavelength;
optical means for receiving the pump beam and the probe beam from the laser source, the optical means operative to generate a plurality of light beams, each having a different frequency, from the pump beam and the probe beam;
one or more cells configured to receive one or more of the light beams from the optical means and to allow passage of the one or more of the light beams therethrough, the one or more cells containing a plurality of alkali atoms, wherein the alkali atoms in the one or more cells are excitable to a manifold of Rydberg energy levels by the one or more of the light beams;
a dichroic filter configured to receive the one or more of the light beams from the one or more cells, the dichroic filter operative to separate pump beam light and probe beam light from the one or more of the light beams; and
a detector array configured to receive the probe beam light from the dichroic filter, the detector array including a two-dimensional array of photosensors operative to map out transmission of respective light beams corresponding to the probe beam light through the one or more cells.

2. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein:
the pump beam co-propagates with the probe beam; and
the first wavelength of the pump beam produces blue light, and the second wavelength of the probe beam produces red light.

3. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the optical means comprises a photonic integrated circuit configured to receive the pump beam and the probe beam, the photonic integrated circuit including an array of cascaded frequency shifters operative to generate the plurality of light beams, each having a different frequency, from the pump beam and the probe beam.

4. The sensor system of claim 3 , wherein the frequency shifters are in a cascaded arrangement on the photonic integrated circuit through a plurality of integrated waveguides and waveguide couplers.

5. The sensor system of claim 4 , wherein the photonic integrated circuit includes a splitter and phase shifter array configured to co-propagate the pump beam and the probe beam onto different layers of the photonic integrated circuit, or to co-propagate the pump beam and the probe beam in the same wideband waveguides.

6. The sensor system of claim 3 , further comprising:
an optical device configured to receive the light beams from the photonic integrated circuit, wherein the optical device is configured to deliver respective light beams to the one or more cells.

7. The sensor system of claim 6 , wherein the optical device comprises a cylindrical lens system configured to broaden the light beams into respective light sheets.

8. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the optical means comprises an optical fiber based arrangement configured to receive the pump beam and probe beam, the fiber based arrangement including an array of cascaded optical fibers, which are connected with respective fiber coupled phase modulators operative to generate the plurality of light beams, each having a different frequency, from the pump beam and the probe beam.

9. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the one or more cells comprise one or more vapor cells, and the alkali atoms comprise rubidium or cesium.

10. The sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more electric field plates coupled to the one or more cells and configured to produce an electric field gradient.

11. The sensor system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a processor operative to acquire output signals from the detector array for data analysis and subsequent display.

12. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the system is implemented as a Rydberg spectrum analyzer that includes an array of Rydberg probes.

13. The sensor system of claim 12 , wherein the system is operative to continuously map a span of about 20 GHz of radio-frequency (RF) spectrum, with each Rydberg probe tuned to a slightly different RF frequency.

14. The sensor system of claim 13 , wherein each Rydberg probe is operative to span about 100 MHz along the RF spectrum, and is further tunable within the 100 MHz span.

15. The sensor system of claim 1 , wherein the system is operative for ultra-wide bandwidth (UWB) communication, or rapid spectrum scanning.

16. A sensor system, comprising:
a first laser device configured to emit a pump beam at a first wavelength;
a second laser device configured to emit a counter-propagating probe beam at a second wavelength;
a first photonic chip configured to receive the pump beam from the first laser device, the first photonic chip including an array of cascaded frequency shifters operative to generate a plurality of substantially parallel pump beams, each having a different frequency, from the pump beam;
a second photonic chip configured to receive the probe beam from the second laser device, the second photonic chip including an array of splitters operative to generate a plurality of substantially parallel probe beams from the probe beam;
a first optical device configured to receive the pump beams from the first photonic chip, wherein the first optical device is configured to broaden each of the pump beams into respective pump light sheets;
a second optical device configured to receive the probe beams from the second photonic chip, wherein the second optical device is configured to broaden each of the probe beams into respective probe light sheets;
a vapor cell configured to receive the pump light sheets from the first optical device and the probe light sheets from the second optical device, the vapor cell containing a plurality of alkali atoms;
one or more electric field plates coupled to the vapor cell and configured to produce an electric field gradient;
a dichroic mirror array configured to reflect the probe light sheets that pass through the vapor cell; and
a detector array configured to receive the probe light sheets from the dichroic mirror array, the detector array including a two-dimensional array of photosensors operative to map out transmission of the probe light sheets along two axes from the vapor cell.

17. The sensor system of claim 16 , wherein:
a sawtooth ramp is applied to the first photonic chip; and
the detector array is configured to provide Stark tuning along one dimension and optical tuning along the other dimension.

18. A method comprising:
emitting at least one light beam from at least one laser source;
broadening the at least one light beam into at least one light sheet;
applying an electric field gradient to the at least one light sheet; and
detecting a range of frequencies of the at least one light sheet after applying the electric field gradient;
wherein a plurality of substantially parallel light beams, each having a different frequency, is generated from the at least one light beam in a photonic chip;
wherein the at least one light sheet is directed through a vapor cell having the electric field gradient.

Assignees

• Honeywell Int Inc

Inventors

• Compton Robert
• Nelson Karl D
• Solmeyer Neal Eldrich
• Puckett Matthew Wade

Classifications

• H04K2203/14

  for the transfer of light or images, e.g. for video-surveillance, for television or from a computer screen · CPC title

• H04K3/822

  by detecting the presence of a surveillance, interception or detection · CPC title

• H04K3/22

  including jamming detection and monitoring · CPC title

• G01R29/0885 Primary

  using optical probes, e.g. electro-optical, luminescent, glow discharge, or optical interferometers · CPC title

• H04K3/45 Primary

  characterized by including monitoring of the target or target signal, e.g. in reactive jammers or follower jammers for example by means of an alternation of jamming phases and monitoring phases, called "look-through mode" · CPC title