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This study advances the theoretical framework for understanding noise limits in thermal-atom sensors by unifying stochastic Liouville and transport theories to model coupled atom-light interactions. By validating predictions against polarization-resolved cesium spectra, the research clarifies how ballistic motion and boundary renewal generate specific common-mode noises below 100 kHz. The developed methodology provides a robust tool for optimizing future quantum sensing applications involving Rydberg atoms and electric-field measurements in thermal vapors.
Stochastic Liouville-transport theory of light-atom interaction noise in thermal atomic vapors
arXiv:2608.15130v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: Atom-light interaction noise can limit thermal-vapor sensing. Existing theories often treat internal-state dynamics, finite-mode atomic motion, and stochastic renewal separately, obscuring their coupled contributions to measured noise. We develop a general stochastic Liouville-transport theory, tested against polarization-resolved resonant Cs D$_2$ spectra. Joint experiment-theory analysis identifies atom-light noise below approximately 100 kHz as transit-dominated. Ballistic motion through the finite Gaussian mode modulates both the coupling-weighted effective atom number and trajectory-dependent Rabi coupling, producing predominantly common-mode noise. Boundary renewal introduces atoms with independently sampled ground-state sublevels, generating differential population fluctuations with opposite effects on the circular channels. Under an applied longitudinal magnetic field, experiment and theory show the same qualitative nonmonotonic change in common-mode suppression, supporting Zeeman redistribution of the channel responses. The framework can analyze noise in other thermal-atom sensors, including Rydberg-atom electric-field measurements.
Abstract:Atom-light interaction noise can limit thermal-vapor sensing. Existing theories often treat internal-state dynamics, finite-mode atomic motion, and stochastic renewal separately, obscuring their coupled contributions to measured noise. We develop a general stochastic Liouville-transport theory, tested against polarization-resolved resonant Cs D$_2$ spectra. Joint experiment-theory analysis identifies atom-light noise below approximately 100 kHz as transit-dominated. Ballistic motion through the finite Gaussian mode modulates both the coupling-weighted effective atom number and trajectory-dependent Rabi coupling, producing predominantly common-mode noise. Boundary renewal introduces atoms with independently sampled ground-state sublevels, generating differential population fluctuations with opposite effects on the circular channels. Under an applied longitudinal magnetic field, experiment and theory show the same qualitative nonmonotonic change in common-mode suppression, supporting Zeeman redistribution of the channel responses. The framework can analyze noise in other thermal-atom sensors, including Rydberg-atom electric-field measurements.
Quantum Physics (quant-ph); Atomic Physics (physics.atom-ph); Computational Physics (physics.comp-ph); Optics (physics.optics)
arXiv:2608.15130 [quant-ph]
(or arXiv:2608.15130v1 [quant-ph] for this version)
https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2608.15130 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)
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