US 11,988,759 B2
Rydberg-molecule-based microwave direction finding
Dana Zachary Anderson, Boulder, CO (US); Haoquan Fan, Erie, CO (US); Ying-Ju Wang, Boulder, CO (US); and Eric Magnuson Bottomley, Boulder, CO (US)
Assigned to ColdQuanta, Inc., Boulder, CO (US)
Filed by ColdQuanta, Inc., Boulder, CO (US)
Filed on Sep. 15, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/021,033.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/048,302, filed on Jul. 6, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0003829 A1, Jan. 6, 2022
Int. Cl. G01S 3/46 (2006.01)
CPC G01S 3/46 (2013.01) 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A microwave direction finder comprising:
a cell containing molecules;
a laser system including:
a probe laser that provides a probe beam that transitions the molecules from a ground state to an excited state; and
a control laser that provides a control beam that transitions the molecules in the excited state to a laser-induced Rydberg state;
a microwave lens system including plural microwave lenses that convert a microwave wavefront into respective microwave beams, the microwave lens system causing at least a pair of the microwave beams to counter-propagate through the molecules so as to create a microwave interference pattern that is imposed on the probe beam to form a probe transmission pattern in the probe beam, the probe transmission pattern having a position along a direction of counter-propagation within the cell; and
an analysis system that determines a propagation direction of the microwave wavefront based on the position of the probe transmission pattern.