US 12,449,459 B2
Self-locked Rydberg atom electric field sensor
Charlie Fancher, McLean, VA (US); Bonnie L. Marlow, McLean, VA (US); Kathryn Nicolich, McLean, VA (US); Kelly Backes, McLean, VA (US); Neel Malvania, McLean, VA (US); Kevin Christopher Cox, Gate City, VA (US); David Henry Meyer, Burtonsville, MD (US); Paul D Kunz, Austin, TX (US); Joshua Cartwright Hill, Silver Spring, MD (US); and William Knox Holland, Berkeley, CA (US)
Assigned to The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA (US); and The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US)
Filed by The MITRE Corporation, McLean, VA (US); and The United States of America as Represented by the Secretary of the Army, Washington, DC (US)
Filed on Jul. 15, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/773,289.
Application 18/773,289 is a continuation of application No. 17/693,036, filed on Mar. 11, 2022, granted, now 12,038,465.
Prior Publication US 2024/0385232 A1, Nov. 21, 2024
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. G01R 29/08 (2006.01); G01R 29/14 (2006.01)
CPC G01R 29/0885 (2013.01) [G01R 29/14 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A Rydberg atomic sensor comprising:
an atomic vapor cell;
a first laser configured to excite atoms contained in the atomic vapor cell to a first energy state;
a second laser configured to excite the atoms contained in the atomic vapor cell from the first energy state to a second energy state, wherein the second energy state is higher than the first energy state; and
one or more processors configured to dither laser light generated by the second laser at a predetermined frequency such that the dithered laser light generated by the second laser excites the atoms from the first energy state to the second energy state.