Electric-field sensing with driven-dissipative time crystals in room-temperature Rydberg vapor

Mode competition in nonequilibrium1-2 Rydberg gases enables the exploration of emergent many-body phases3-5. This work leverages this emergent phase for electric field detection at room temperature. Sensitive frequency-resolved electric field measurements at very low-frequencies (VLF) are of central importance in a wide range of applications where deep-penetration is required in communications6,7, navigation8 and imaging or surveying9,10. The long wavelengths on order of 10-100 km (3-30 kHz) limit the efficiency, sensitivity, and bandwidth of compact classical detectors that are constrained by Chu’s limit11. Rydberg-atom electrometers12-14 are an attractive approach for microwave electric-field sensors but have reduced sensitivity at lower-frequencies. Very recent efforts to advance the standard Rydberg-atoms approach is based on DC electric-field (E-field) Stark shifting15,16 and have resulted in sensitivities between 67.9-2.2 uVcm-1Hz-1/2 (0.1-10 kHz) by fine optimization of the DC E-field. A major challenge in these approaches is the need for embedded electrodes or plates due to DC E-field Stark screening effect17, which can perturb coupling of VLF signals when injected from external sources. In this article, it is demonstrated that state-of-art sensitivity (~1.6-2.3 uVcm-1Hz-1/2) can instead be achieved using limit-cycle oscillations in driven-dissipative Rydberg atoms by using a magnetic field (B-field) to develop mode-competition between nearby Rydberg states. The mode-competition between nearby Rydberg-states develop an effective transition centered at the oscillation frequency capable of supporting external VLF E-field coupling in the ~10-15kHz regime without the requirement for fine optimization of the B-field magnitude.