Rydberg sensing with collimated atomic beams

We present progress towards high sensitivity THz sensing using Rydberg atoms created in a highly collimated miniature rubidium beam source. Due to their high polarizability, Rydberg atoms are ideal candidates for detection of weak external electric fields. The Rydberg atoms are generated with a three-photon ladder scheme to an nP state, where n is in the low 40s. Electromagnetic induced transparency (EIT) is utilized to probe the dynamics of Rydberg states and their coupling to external electric fields. In comparison to warm vapor cells, a collimated atomic beam offers a narrow transverse velocity distribution, significantly reducing Doppler effects. Additionally, progress towards THz detection using state selective field-ionization with the Rydberg beam will be discussed.