Custom 'headphones' boost atomic radio reception 100-fold

[AdamG]

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

Atomic Headphones article

Discuss

 

[Jimbob54]

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

Atomic Headphones article

Discuss

Sounds like the kind of thread I need to put my tinfoil hat on to read...

 

[sarumbear]

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

Atomic Headphones article

Discuss

What does an atomic receiver do, what signal it receives?

 

[BostonJack]

Seems suitable for 1980's funk. Cesium imparts a warm sound, with slam.

 

[Jimbob54]

What does an atomic receiver do, what signal it receives?

Atoms

 

[AdamG]

World’s smallest radio receiver has building blocks the size of two atoms

Radio is made from atomic-scale defects in diamond

www.seas.harvard.edu

 

[AdamG]

Atoms

Two Atoms to be exact!

 

[AdamG]

What does an atomic receiver do, what signal it receives?

Well I was hoping you could tell us that?

 

[BostonJack]

What does an atomic receiver do, what signal it receives?

I'm guessing, but that looks like a room temperature set up, so it could be that the Cesium atoms react to EM wave, change their light emissions which are measured more easily. Seems like a replacement for cryogenically cooled sensors, maybe? Cesium spectral transitions don't change with T, more conventional sensor noise is proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT). [I'm the engineering son of a physicist. does it show?]

Punk as hell.

 

[solderdude]

Imagine what this can do with your average DAC. It can boost SINAD by 40dB (100 fold)

 

[Somafunk]

Hope they used 99.99999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999……… pure copper otherwise their research is not credible

 

[VMAT4]

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

Atomic Headphones article

Discuss

I'll buy that for a dollar!

 

[Loathecliff]

I'm guessing, but that looks like a room temperature set up, so it could be that the Cesium atoms react to EM wave, change their light emissiones which are measured more easily. Seems like a replacement for cryogenically cooled sensors, maybe? Cesium spectral transitions don't change with T, more conventional sensor noise is proportional to absolute temperature (PTAT). [I'm the engineering son of a physicist. does it show?]

Until you told us otherwise, I thought I was reading airey wordy bilge from the What HiFi? sister magazine 'What X-Fluff?'.
All supposition and zero measurements as usual
No mention of the colour/type of atom, or the all-important atoms noise rejection rate SMOTA


Edit:- I think I'll glance at the OP's link now

 

[Berwhale]

...what looks like custom copper "headphones."

It must have been 'first run' copper to get this result

 

[Astoneroad]

Cesium the Day!

 

[JSmith]

Discuss

An interesting read, thanks.

This fella is impressed;

JSmith