Custom ‘Headphones’ Boost Atomic Radio Reception 100-Fold

Custom ‘Headphones’ Boost Atomic Radio Reception 100-Fold


Copper “headphones” boost the sensitivity of NIST’s atomic radio receiver, which is composed of a gas of cesium atoms prepared in a special state inside the glass container. When an antenna located above the setup sends down a radio signal, the headphones boost the strength of the received signal a hundredfold.



Credit: NIST



Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have boosted the sensitivity of their atomic radio receiver a hundredfold by enclosing the small glass cylinder of cesium atoms inside what looks like custom copper “headphones.” 


The structure — a square overhead loop connecting two square panels — increases the incoming radio signal, or electric field, applied to the gaseous atoms in the flask (known as a vapor cell) between the panels. This enhancement enables the radio receiver to detect much weaker signals than before. The demonstration is described in a new paper


The headphone structure is technically a split-ring resonator, which acts like a metamaterial — a material engineered with novel structures to produce unusual properties. “We can call it a metamaterials-inspired structure,” NIST project leader Chris Holloway said. 


NIST researchers previously demonstrated the atom-based radio receiver. An atomic sensor has the potential to be physically smaller and work better in noisy environments than conventional radio receivers, among other possible advantages. 


The vapor cell is about 14 millimeters (mm) long with a diameter of 10 mm, roughly the size of a fingernail or computer chip, but thicker. The resonator’s overhead loop is about 16 mm on a side, and the ear covers are about 12 mm on a side.


The NIST radio recei ..

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