Continuous broadband microwave electric field measurement in Rydberg atoms based on the DC Stark effect

We demonstrate a method for broadband tunable continuous frequency electric field measurement based on the DC Stark effect in Rydberg atoms. In our experiment, we place a pair of parallel electrode plates inside the atomic vapor cell, utilizing the DC Stark effect to induce splitting and shifting of the Rydberg energy levels, thereby altering the resonance frequency of the Stark subpeaks. By employing the 52D(5/2) Rydberg state, we achieve electric field measurements in the frequency range of 5.083-14.470 GHz. At an E-DC of 3.45 V/cm and a resonant microwave frequency of 14.470 GHz, using heterodyne technology, the microwave electric field sensitivity is 538.89 mu V/cm/root Hz, with a linear dynamic range of 23 dB. In comparison, a Rydberg heterodyne receiver with an E-DC of 0 V/cm and a resonant microwave frequency of 5.083 GHz has a sensitivity of 5.43 mu V/cm/root Hz and a linear dynamic range of 51 dB. This work will promote the study of atomic microwave receivers in continuous microwave frequency measurement.