Atomic TV Uses Lasers and a Cloud of Big Atoms to Transmit Live Video

 Researchers have created an atomic television to show how an atom cloud may be used as a receiver to catch visual transmission. The television transmits video signals with the required resolution using atom clouds and lasers. Systems based on atoms are thought to be more noise-tolerant and smaller than traditional electronics. The atoms that make up the apparatus are created in high-energy Rydberg states, which are especially susceptible to electromagnetic fields, including radio transmissions.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) team in the US used two distinct color lasers to create gaseous rubidium atoms in Rydberg states in a glass container. A steady radio signal is sent to the glass container loaded with atoms in order to receive signals. The scientists can now identify the energy changes in the Rydberg atoms that modulate the carrier signal.

The modulated output is then sent to the television, where a video graphics array formatter transforms the signals into an analogue-to-digital format for display. The input from a video camera is transmitted to modify the original carrier signal when a live video feed or game is to be broadcast. The horn antenna uses this signal to guide the transmission to the atoms.

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To assess the system, the final video output, detected by the atoms, is compared to the original signal carrier, which serves as a reference.

"We succeeded in receiving and streaming videos using Rydberg atom sensors. We are now transmitting video games through atoms and engaging in quantum gaming. The video game was essentially encoded onto a signal, which we then identified using atoms. According to project manager and research author Chris Holloway, the output is streamed straight into the TV.

In a quantum computer, a new phase of matter behaves as though there are two time dimensions.

To enable the atoms to receive video in standard quality format, the scientists investigated the laser beam strengths, sizes, and detecting techniques in the study, which was published in AVS Quantum Science. The average amount of time that atoms spend in the laser's interaction zone depends on the laser's beam size. Since the time in this case is inversely proportional to the receiver's bandwidth, more data may be generated with less time and a smaller beam.