Homodyne Microwave Electric Field Measurements Using Cesium Rydberg Atoms in Vapor Cells

Probe laser noise is one of the main factors limiting the sensitivity of microwave electric field measurements that use Rydberg atoms in vapor cells. We apply a homodyne detection technique using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer to achieve a new sensitivity limit for the measurement of microwave electric fields, $\sim 3-5 \mu V cm^{-1} \sqrt{Hz}^{-1}$. The new sensitivity is almost one order of magnitude better than the previous results presented in Ref. [Nat. Phys. 8, 819 (2012)]. We also report on the homogeneous dephasing effects caused by transit time broadening, collision broadening, and the lifetime of Rydberg atoms which we can now directly observe. We show that these dephasing effects are the fundamental limiting factors that determine the shot noise limit.