Microwave Electrometry with Quantum-Limited Resolutions in a Rydberg-Atom Array

Microwave (MW) field sensing is foundational to modern technology, yet its evolution, reliant on classical antennas, is constrained by fundamental physical limits on field, temporal, and spatial resolutions. Here, we demonstrate an MW electrometry that simultaneously surpasses these constraints by using individual Rydberg atoms in an optical tweezer array as coherent sensors. This approach achieves a field sensitivity within 13% of the standard quantum limit, a response time that exceeds the Chu limit by more than 11 orders of magnitude, and in-situ near-field mapping with λ/3000 spatial resolution. This work establishes Rydberg-atom arrays as a powerful platform that unites quantum-limited sensitivity, nanosecond-scale response time, and sub-micrometer resolution, opening new avenues in quantum metrology and precision electromagnetic field imaging.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2026-02-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/v5nm-xwp5
Primary Topic
Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
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article

Microwave Electrometry with Quantum-Limited Resolutions in a Rydberg-Atom Array

De-Sheng Xiang, Yijia Zhou, Peng Zhou, Lin Li et al.
Physical Review Letters
Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
article

Microwave Electrometry with Quantum-Limited Resolutions in a Rydberg-Atom Array

De-Sheng Xiang, Yijia Zhou, Peng Zhou, Lin Li, Biao Xu, Yaowen Zhang, Kuan Zhang, Haoxiang Liu, Ren Liao
article en

Abstract

Microwave (MW) field sensing is foundational to modern technology, yet its evolution, reliant on classical antennas, is constrained by fundamental physical limits on field, temporal, and spatial resolutions. Here, we demonstrate an MW electrometry that simultaneously surpasses these constraints by using individual Rydberg atoms in an optical tweezer array as coherent sensors. This approach achieves a field sensitivity within 13% of the standard quantum limit, a response time that exceeds the Chu limit by more than 11 orders of magnitude, and in-situ near-field mapping with λ/3000 spatial resolution. This work establishes Rydberg-atom arrays as a powerful platform that unites quantum-limited sensitivity, nanosecond-scale response time, and sub-micrometer resolution, opening new avenues in quantum metrology and precision electromagnetic field imaging.

Physical Review LettersVol. 136(11)
Quantum Technology Sciences (United States) (US), ShangHai JiAi Genetics & IVF Institute (CN), Huazhong University of Science and Technology (CN), Wuhan Institute of Technology (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 98%
Cold Atom Physics and Bose-Einstein Condensates
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