Field of Invention
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The present invention relates to a method, and a corresponding system, for wireless telecommunications, and in particular using a Rydberg-Atom Receiver and multi-band transmission.
Background
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Wireless Radio-Frequency (RF) technologies are utilised in telecommunications, beaconing and sensing systems. In many such circumstances, there is a demand for effective security measures to protect RF systems from security risks (e.g. cyberattack, unauthorised access, data breaches, and service disruption or jamming). This is particularly true since RF systems lack physical security that is conferred by wired communication systems. As such, there is a continuing problem of ensuring sufficient security and resilience of such RF systems.
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It is an aim of the present invention to alleviate at least some of the aforementioned problems.
Statements of Invention
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According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided: a method of operating a wireless telecommunications system comprising an Electro-Magnetic Transmitter, EMT, and a Rydberg-Atom Receiver, RAR, for detecting an EM field from the EMT, and the method comprising the steps of: providing, to the EMT and to the RAR, a communication configuration for enabling transmission, by the EMT, of a data signal encoded within a wireless multi-band transmission, and for enabling reception, by the RAR, of said wireless multi-band transmission; configuring the EMT and the RAR according to the provided communication configuration; transmitting, by the EMT and whilst the EMT is configured according to the communication configuration, the wireless multi-band transmission having encoded therewithin the data signal; receiving, by the RAR and whilst the RAR is configured according to the communication configuration, the wireless multi-band transmission; and processing the wireless multi-band transmission so as to derive the data signal.
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Preferably, the RAR is configured to detect the EM field by exploiting Electromagnetically Induced Transparency. Preferably, the RAR comprises a/an: container (e.g. a vapour cell) comprising a medium of Rydberg atoms; probe laser configured to transmit a probe signal through the vapour cell; coupling laser configured to transmit a coupling signal into the vapour cell and in counter propagation to the probe signal; and a photodetector configured to receive the probe signal having been transmitted through the vapour cell. Preferably, the medium of Rydberg atoms comprises or consists of an alkali or alkali earth metal, and more preferably Rubidium or Caesium.
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As used herein, a "multi-band transmission" preferably connotes a transmitter simultaneously transmitting information (e.g. comprising, or consisting of, the data signal) across a plurality of unique frequency bands, each band having a unique carrier frequency (and optionally bandwidth also). The bands may be contiguous or non-contiguous, and may be allocated within a single spectrum or across multiple spectra. The information transmitted on each band may be independent or correlated, and may be encoded using different modulation schemes. Accordingly, the receiver is capable of simultaneously receiving and decoding the information transmitted on each band. Preferably, the RAR is a singular receiver configured to receive the entirety of the multi-band transmission.
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Preferably, the data signal comprises a further communication configuration, different to the communication configuration, wherein said further communication configuration is used in a further iteration of the method. Preferably, the further communication configuration is used in a further iteration of the method in that: the further communication configuration is provided, to the EMT and to the RAR, and is suitable for enabling transmission, by the EMT, of a further data signal encoded within a further wireless multi-band transmission, and is suitable for enabling reception, by the RAR, of said further wireless multi-band transmission; the EMT and the RAR are configured according to the provided further communication configuration; the EMT transmits, whilst the EMT is configured according to the further communication configuration, the further wireless multi-band transmission having encoded therewithin the data signal; RAR receives, whilst the RAR is configured according to the further communication configuration, the further wireless multi-band transmission; and the RAR processes the further wireless multi-band transmission so as to derive the further data signal. Preferably, the data signal is encoded across each band of the multi-band transmission. Optionally, each division of the data signal across each band is different.
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Preferably, the data signal is divided into a first data segment and a second data segment, and wherein the: first data segment is: transmitted within a first band of the multi-band transmission; and encrypted; second data segment: is transmitted within a second band of the multi-band transmission; and comprises an encryption key for decrypting the first data segment.
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Preferably, the data signal is duplicated across at least two and/or all bands of the multi-band transmission. Optionally, the method further comprises the step of authenticating the data signal at the RAR in response to receiving at least two, each or every duplicate of the data signal across the plurality of different frequency carriers, and more preferably otherwise not authenticating the data signal. Optionally, the data signal is duplicated as a whole, or a part thereof.
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Preferably, at least two bands of the multi-band transmission are diverse as to frequency. As used herein, "diverse" as to frequency preferably connotes significant separation between bands, and more preferably of at least one, two or three orders of magnitude, more preferably 1 GHz, yet more preferably 10GHz, and still more preferably 100GHz. Preferably, with reference to the International Telecommunication Union designation, at least one of the bands of the multi-band transmission is within the: Extremely, Super, Ultra, Very Low, or Low frequency range; and another of said bands is within the: Tremendously, Extremely, Super, Ultra, Very High or High frequency range. Optionally, the EMT comprises at least two different transmitting antennas, wherein different bands of the multi-band transmission are simultaneously transmitted by a different one of said transmitting antennas. Optionally, at least two of the transmitting antennas are remote from one another and/or are independently operated (albeit in co-ordination).
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Preferably, the communication configuration comprises, or permits derivation of, at least one of a/an: constituent atomic species of the RAR; configuration of a constituent probe and/or pump laser of the RAR; excitation scheme of the RAR; and available atomic transition of the RAR. Optionally, the communication configuration comprises, or permits derivation, of characteristics of the multi-band transmission, which may include: frequency band; bandwidth; and/or modulation technique. Optionally, in turn, the EMT and/or RAR process said communication configuration to derive a suitable: constituent atomic species for the RAR; the constituent probe and/or pump laser of the RAR; the excitation scheme of the RAR; and the available atomic transition of the RAR.
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Preferably, communication configuration is provided by: the RAR to the EMT; the EMT to the RAR; or a synchronisation system, remote from both the EMT and the RAR, to the EMT and RAR.
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Optionally, the communication configuration is pre-installed or pre-provisioned within the EMT, RAR and/or synchronisation system. Optionally, the communication configuration is communicated between the EMT, RAR and/or synchronisation system. Optionally, the communication configuration is temporally static (or fixed) or dynamic (or variable). Optionally, the communication configuration is dynamic based on a schema or time schedule, and wherein said schema or time schedule is provided to the RAR and EMT.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a method of operating a Rydberg-Atom Receiver, RAR, provided as part of a wireless telecommunications system further comprising an Electro-Magnetic Transmitter, EMT, wherein the RAR is configurable to detect an EM field from the EMT, and the method comprising the steps of: providing, to the RAR, a communication configuration, for provision also to the EMT, and for enabling transmission, by the EMT, of a data signal encoded within a wireless multi-band transmission, and for enabling reception, by the RAR, of said wireless multi-band transmission; configuring the RAR according to the provided communication configuration; receiving, by the RAR and whilst the RAR is configured according to the communication configuration, a wireless multi-band transmission transmitted by the EMT whilst the EMT is configured according to the communication configuration; and processing the wireless multi-band transmission so as to derive the data signal.
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According to yet another aspect of the invention, there is provided a computer-readable carrier medium comprising a computer program, which, when the computer program is executed by a computer, causes the computer to carry out the steps of any one of the methods described above.
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According to still another aspect of the invention, there is provided a telecommunications system comprising a/an: Electro-Magnetic Transmitter, EMT, comprising a/an: memory for storing a communication configuration for enabling transmission, by the EMT, of a data signal encoded within a wireless multi-band transmission; controller for configuring the EMT according to the stored communication configuration; and transmitter for transmitting, whilst the EMT is configured according to the communication configuration, the wireless multi-band transmission having encoded therewithin the data signal; and Rydberg-Atom Receiver, RAR, comprising a/an: memory for storing the communication configuration, wherein the communication configuration is further suitable for enabling reception, by the RAR, of said wireless multi-band transmission; controller for configuring the RAR according to the stored communication configuration; receiver for receiving, whilst the RAR is configured according to the communication configuration, the wireless multi-band transmission transmitted by the EMT; and processor for processing the wireless multi-band transmission so as to derive the data signal.
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According to another aspect of the invention, there is provided a Rydberg-Atom Receiver, RAR, for a wireless telecommunications system further comprising an Electro-Magnetic Transmitter, EMT, the RAR comprising: memory for storing a communication configuration for enabling reception, by the RAR, of a wireless multi-band transmission, having encoded therewithin a data signal, as transmitted by the EMT; controller for configuring the RAR according to the provided communication configuration; controller for configuring the RAR according to the stored communication configuration; receiver for receiving, whilst the RAR is configured according to the communication configuration, the wireless multi-band transmission transmitted by the EMT; and processor for processing the wireless multi-band transmission so as to derive the data signal.
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The above summary is not intended to describe each illustrated embodiment or every implementation of the subject matter hereof. The invention includes any novel aspects described and/or illustrated herein. The invention also extends to methods and/or apparatus substantially as herein described and/or as illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. The invention is also provided as a computer program and/or a computer program product for carrying out any of the methods described herein and/or for embodying any of the apparatus features described herein, and a computer-readable medium storing thereon a program for carrying out any of the methods and/or for embodying any of the apparatus features described herein. Features described as being implemented in hardware may alternatively be implemented in software, and vice versa.
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It should be understood that the individual operations used in the methods of the present teachings may be performed in any order and/or simultaneously, as long as the teaching remains operable. Furthermore, it should be understood that the apparatus and methods of the present teachings can include any number, or all, of the described embodiments, as long as the teaching remains operable.
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Any apparatus feature may also be provided as a corresponding step of a method, and vice versa. As used herein, means plus function features may alternatively be expressed in terms of their corresponding structure, for example as a suitably-programmed processor.
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Any feature in one aspect of the invention may be applied, in any appropriate combination, to other aspects of the invention. Any, some and/or all features in one aspect can be applied to any, some and/or all features in any other aspect, in any appropriate combination. Particular combinations of the various features described and defined in any aspects of the invention can be implemented and/or supplied and/or used independently.
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As used throughout, the word 'or' can be interpreted in the exclusive and/or inclusive sense, unless otherwise specified.
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The invention extends to a method and a telecommunications system as described herein and/or substantially as illustrated with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is now described, purely by way of example, with reference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings, in which:
- Figure 1 shows a telecommunications system; and
- Figure 2 shows a process of operating the telecommunications system.
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While various embodiments are amenable to various modifications and alternative forms, specifics thereof have been shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. It should be understood, however, that the intention is not to limit the claimed inventions to the particular embodiments described. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the subject matter as defined by, at least, the claims.
Specific Description
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Figure 1 schematically shows a telecommunications system 100 comprising an Electro-Magnetic Transmitter (EMT) 105 and a Rydberg-Atom Receiver (RAR) 110, which are configured for wireless communication from the former to the latter.
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The RAR (also known as an "atomic receiver" or a "quantum-optical receiver") is an Electro-Magnetic (EM) field detector that comprises a: Rydberg vapour cell 115; probe laser 120; coupling laser 125; photodetector 130; and a set of beamsplitters (e.g. dichroic mirrors) 135, comprising a first beamsplitter 135-1 and a second beamsplitter 135-2; and a controller 140.
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The Rydberg vapour cell 115 comprises a container (e.g. a sealed glass, ceramic or Perspex vessel) containing a low-density vaporous medium of Rydberg atoms, such as alkali metal (e.g. Rubidium-85 or Caesium-133) or alkaline earth metal atoms (e.g. Strontium-88).
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A Rydberg atom is an atom with at least one electron excited to a very high principal quantum number (n≫1). Rydberg atoms experience very large dipole moments and long decay periods; these characteristics are exploited by the RAR 110 so as to receive, detect and demodulate EM fields over very large frequency ranges (compared to conventional conductive antennas), typically between so-called (as defined by the International Telecommunication Union) medium and superhigh frequencies (e.g. between 1MHz and 30GHz), but as low as extremely low frequencies, and as high as infrared frequencies (e.g. between 3Hz and 1THz), in some examples. For conciseness, as used herein, the terms "radio" and "radio frequency" include, in addition to conventional radio frequencies, at least up to far infrared frequencies that are known to be detectable by a suitably configured RAR.
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Each Rydberg atom has a ground state and a plurality of excited states, which may be excited (i.e. by absorbing a photon of sufficient energy that permits electron transition) from the ground state to an excited state. The electron then transitions by decay from the excited state to a lower excited state (i.e. an excited state at a lower energy level) or to the ground state, with certain transitions being unpermitted because they are dipole forbidden.
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The probe laser 120 is configured (by the controller 140) and arranged to transmit - via the first beamsplitter 135-1 - a probe signal 145 through the Rydberg vapour cell 115, and thus the constituent Rydberg atoms (e.g. Rb-85), in which the probe signal is at a first wavelength (e.g. ≈780nm), λ1, corresponding to an energy required to elevate an outer electron of the Rydberg atoms from a ground state (|1>) to a first excited state (|2>); this transition is shown in the electron transition diagram 150 in Figure 1. The probe signal that emerges from the Rydberg vapour cell 115 is referred to as the output signal 150 and is used to detect an incident EM multi-band transmission 170 (e.g. a radio-frequency signal) transmitted by the EMT 105 (e.g. a cellular base station, but including any transmitter), as described below in more detail.
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Simultaneously, the coupling laser 125 is configured (by the controller 140) and arranged to transmit - via the second beamsplitter 135-2 - a coupling signal 160 through the Rydberg vapour cell 115 in counter-propagation (to help reduce Doppler shifting) to, and overlapping with, the probe signal 145, in which the coupling signal 160 is at a second wavelength (e.g. ≈480nm), λ2, corresponding to an energy required to elevate the outer electron of the Rydberg atoms from the first excited state (|2>) to a Rydberg state (|3>), and having greater power than the probe signal. The transition from the first excited state (|2>) to the Rydberg state (|3>) is also shown in the electron transition diagram 150 in Figure 1. Accordingly, a three-level atomic system is created (it will be appreciated by the person skilled in the art that a four-level system could correspondingly be used, for example by introducing a repump laser, with potential increases in detection sensitivity). To help (further) reduce Doppler shifting, the probe 120 and coupling 125 lasers are frequency stabilised.
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In a quantum-optical and quantum-interference process known as Electromagnetically Induced Transparency (EIT), two excitation paths (e.g. |1> → |2> and |2>→|3>) interfere destructively and create a transparency window for the probe signal 145 operating at λ1. For example, in an EIT ladder scheme, transition from the Rydberg state (|3>) to the ground state (|1>) is forbidden, and the ground state (|1>) becomes depopulated and so fewer atoms can absorb the probe signal. Accordingly, the Rydberg atoms become more transparent to the probe signal. EIT is also realisable using other electron transition schema, such as vee and lambda.
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Regardless, the photodetector 130 is arranged downstream of the Rydberg vapour cell 115 (and the second beamsplitter 135-2) in the path of the output signal 150, and is configured to measure, at least, (spectrographic) amplitude of the output signal 150. The measured, at least, amplitude of the output signal is communicated from the photodetector to the controller 140 for processing. Depending on the EIT state of the Rydberg atoms, further physical effects can be exploited to detect the multi-band transmission 170 from real-time optical measurements of the output signal 150 by the photodetector 130 and subsequent processing by the controller.
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Since the outer electron of the Rydberg atom is much further away from the atomic nucleus when in the Rydberg state (|3>) compared to the ground state (|1>), a high polarizability and a large dipole moment (i.e. through strong Rabi oscillation) is created. The outer electron becomes responsive to the multi-band transmission 170 so as to cause a further transition of said electron from the Rydberg state (|3>) to an adjacent Rydberg state (|4>) when the photon energy of the multi-band transmission 170 matches the required transition energy (e.g. having a frequency of -3.43GHz), which causes splitting of said states into "dressed states" in a process known as Autler-Townes splitting. In turn, this state splitting causes, by EIT, the Rydberg atoms to become less transparent to the probe laser 145, causing a decrease in amplitude of the output signal 150 to an extent that is proportional to the amplitude of the incident multi-band transmission 170.
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Correspondingly, in another example, the RAR 110 is configured by the controller 140 to detect Frequency Modulated (FM) signals. That is, when frequency of the multi-band transmission 170 changes (or "detunes") from the frequency required for the transition between the Rydberg state (|3>) and the adjacent Rydberg state (|4>), EIT resonance again causes Autler-Townes splitting. The separation of the two peaks increases with EM field detuning. By locking the probe laser 120 and coupling laser 125 to particular frequencies, then the output signal 150 is directly correlated to the frequency modulation of the EM field, and spectrographic analysis thereof permits detection of the FM modulation. The publication
D. A. Anderson et al., "An Atomic Receiver for AM and FM Radio Communication" in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 69, no. 5, pp. 2455-2462, May 2021, doi: 10.1109/TAP.2020.2987112, which is herein incorporated by reference, provides a methodology for FM signal detection.
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In yet a further example, the RAR 110 is configured by the controller 140 to detect phase modulated EM fields, such as those of Binary Phase-Shift Keying (BPSK), Quadrature Phase-Shift Keying (QPSK), and Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) signals (used in many wireless and cellular communications protocols). In these modulation schemes, a signal is transmitted by modulating the phase of a carrier signal in the multi-band transmission 170. To detect the carrier's phase, a reference EM signal that is on-resonance with the transition to the Rydberg state (|3>) is applied to the Rydberg atoms, which acts as a local oscillator. A difference in frequencies between the carrier and reference EM signals, or the "Intermediate Frequency" (IF), is detected and the phase of the intermediate frequency signal corresponds directly to the relative phase between the local oscillator and the multi-band transmission 170.
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In any event, the RAR 110 is configured by the controller 140 to detect a specific frequency of the multi-band transmission 170 by selecting a particular value of λ2 so that electrons of the Rydberg atoms are elevated to a particular Rydberg state (|3>). This particular Rydberg state (|3>) is selected so that photons at the specific frequency of the multi-band transmission 170 elevate electrons from this Rydberg state to its adjacent Rydberg state (|4>), which induces a change in the EIT that is then detected by the photodetector 130 from characteristics of the output signal 150.
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The probe and coupling lasers are configured to be on-resonance with the atomic transitions associated with the atomic medium within the vapour cell 115 so as to excite the constituent Rydberg atoms to the ground Rydberg state (|3>). The stability and linewidth of said lasers determines the sensitivity and data capacity rate of the RAR.
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The controller 140 is further configured as a laser locking unit for the probe and coupling lasers and is configured to process error signals, and subsequently to generate and communicate correction signals to said laser to control parameters such as temperature and electrical parameters, such as current. The controller this helps keep the lasers from drifting significantly away from the transition frequencies of the Rydberg atom.
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The RAR 110 is configurable to receive a multi-band transmission; that is, the communication of information by simultaneously using different frequency bands. In addition, that RAR is capable of wideband reception. As a result, compared to a traditional receiver that uses a conductive (e.g. metallic) antenna, the singular RAR is capable of highly diverse (i.e. wideband) multi-band reception. Depending on frequency separation between bands, a singular traditional receiver may not be capable of adequately receiving both (or all) such bands, and a plurality of traditional receivers, each suitably configured to receive a dedicated band, may therefore instead be necessary.
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To do so, the adjacent Rydberg state (|3>) can comprise a plurality (
n) of different specific adjacent states (|4
n >), such that transition from the Rydberg state (|3>) to any such specific adjacent states is caused by an appropriate EM field having appropriate resonant frequency. For example, where the Rydberg state (|3>) of Rubidium is 58
D 5/2, the adjacent Rydberg state (|4>) includes specific adjacent states |4
1> = 59
P 3/2, |4
2> = 57
F 7/2, |4
3> = 56
F 7/2, and |4
4> = 60
P 3/2, and transition from the Rydberg state (|3>) to said specific adjacent states is associated with a frequency of 10.8GHz, 11.8GHz, 24.7GHz, and 25.0GHz, respectively. The publication
G. Allinson et al, "Simultaneous multiband radio-frequency detection using high-orbital-angular-momentum states in a Rydberg-atom receiver" in Phys. Rev. Research, vol. 6, no. 2, pp. 023317, June 2024, doi 10.1103/PhysRevResearch.6.023317, details specific methodologies for achieving simultaneous multi-band RF detection, which are herein incorporated by reference.
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In addition, various methods may be employed by the RAR to detect a data signal within a wireless multi-band transmission.
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In one example, a Local Oscillator (LO) is provided as part of the controller 140, which generates a resonant frequency of transition between the Rydberg state (|3>) and the adjacent Rydberg state (|4>). The data signal is encoded into the multi-band transmission 170 by the EMT 105, which is offset from the frequency of the LO by an Intermediate Frequency (IF). The vapour cell operates effectively as a 'mixer' to mix received data signals down to IF (where the IF << LO). The IF, along with the data signal, is contained within the output signal 150, which is detected by the photodetector 130, and the output of which is used by the controller 140 to perform signal analysis to decode the data signal. In an alternative, the data signal is directly encoded into the IF, which is in turn encoded into the LO by amplitude- or frequency-modulation. The LO uses a frequency in resonance with transitions between the ground state (|1>) and the first excited state (|2>), or slightly detuned therefore for improved sensitivity. The data signal modulates the intensity of the LO, which then alters the response of the vapour cell 115 to the LO and this information is contained in the output signal, which is then decoded by the controller 140, via the output of the photodetector 130.
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The EMT and RAR have, respectively, transmission and reception constraints, such as operating frequencies. Transmission and reception of the multi-band transmission by the EMT and RAR, respectively, is contingent upon each having appropriate compatible transmission and reception capability; this compatible capability is dictated by a communication configuration.
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For example, the communication configuration comprises an explicit identification of compatible frequencies of the bands of the multi-band transmission, or information that permits derivation thereof, such as:
- a constituent Rydberg atom species of the vapour cell 115 (e.g. Rubidium, Caesium, etc.);
- probe laser configuration, and notably frequency thereof, to determine characteristics of the first excited state (|2>);
- coupling laser configuration, and notably frequency thereof, to determine characteristics of the Rydberg state (|3>);
- excitation schema of the RAR, such as ladder, vee or lambda; and/or
- the adjacent Rydberg state (|4>) that is available, including the specific adjacent states.
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Accordingly, to help ensure compatible communication from the EMT to the RAR, there is further provided a synchroniser system 180 that is configured to identify, communicate (or otherwise permit the derivation of), and synchronise, the communication configuration for the EMT and the RAR so as to enable transmission and reception, respectively, of an encoded data signal within the multi-band transmission 170.
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In one example, the synchroniser system 180 is a pre-provisioning system that pre-installs the communication configuration with the EMT and RAR, or that pre-installs a schema for deriving a communication configuration for use at a given time, such as a schedule or time-based function.
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In another example, the synchroniser system 180 is a dedicated communication system (separate from the multi-band transmission) between the EMT and RAR, and the communication configuration for an upcoming communication is communicated using said dedicated communication system, such as from the RAR to the EMT, from the EMT to the RAR, or from the synchronisation system to both the EMT and RAR. For example, the dedicated communication system comprises a wired or wireless link.
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In another example, the synchroniser system 180 is provided as a part of the EMT, and the communication configuration for an upcoming multi-band transmission is communicated within the data signal of a preceding multi-band transmission using an already-agreed communication configuration
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In one example, the EMT is provided as part of a wide-area wireless network base station, such as for cellular telecommunications, and the RAR is provided as a part of a corresponding User Equipment, and/or vice versa. In another example, the EMT is provided as part of a local-area wireless network access point, and the RAR is provided as a part of a corresponding client device, and/or vice versa. In yet another example, the EMT is provided as part of a satellite or aerial vehicle, and the RAR is provided as a part of a ground-based client device, and/or vice versa.
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Figure 2 shows a process 200 for operating the telecommunications system 100.
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In a first step 210, the communication configuration is provided (as per any of the examples described above) to both the EMT and the RAR thereby effectively to co-ordinate compatible transmission-reception bands.
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At a next step 220, the EMT and RAR are concurrently configured to transmit and receive, respectively, according to the communication configuration.
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At a next step 230, whilst configured according to the communication configuration, the EMT encodes the data signal within the multi-band transmission. For example, the data signal is divided across the bands of the multi-band transmission and/or is duplicated across at least two such bands. Furthermore, the data signal is available to comprise encrypted information and a decryption key therefor, in which each of said elements is provided in a separate band (therefore requiring receipt of both bands to decrypt the encrypted information). Regardless of the manner of encoding, once encoded, the EMT transmits the multi-band transmission.
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At a subsequent step 240, whilst configured according to the communication configuration, the RAR receives the multi-band transmission and processes said transmission (e.g. according to the methods described above) so as to retrieve the encoded data signal.
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In this way, the RAR may provide a highly-sensitive, and singular, radio-frequency receiver having improved security and/or redundancy (compared to a traditional receiver) by virtue of the wideband nature of the RAR and corresponding multi-band transmission by the EMT. This may therefore provide a high-security and/or high-resilience communication system.
Alternatives and Modifications
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The communication configuration is available to be static (i.e. unchanging, or unchangeable) or dynamic (i.e. temporally variable).
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In one example, where the data signal is duplicated across at least two bands of the multi-band transmission, the RAR is configured to authenticate the data signal only upon receiving all duplicates of the data signal.
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Where the multi-band transmission is highly diverse, the EMT is available to comprise a plurality of different transmitting antennas that are dedicated to, and thus configured to operate within, at least band for the multi-band transmission. The plurality of different transmitting antennas work in co-ordination so as simultaneously to transmit their respective band and thus, in aggregate, the multi-band transmission. In this case, the transmitting antennas are available to be provided spatially remote from one another, and/or to be independently operated, albeit still operated in a co-ordinated manner.
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In one embodiment, the system and/or its components or subsystems can include computing devices, microprocessors, modules and other computer or computing devices, which can be any programmable device that accepts digital data as input, is configured to process the input according to instructions or algorithms, and provides results as outputs. In one embodiment, computing and other such devices discussed herein can be, comprise, contain or be coupled to a Central Processing Unit (CPU) configured to carry out the instructions of a computer program. Computing and other such devices discussed herein are therefore configured to perform basic arithmetical, logical, and input/output operations.
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Computing and other devices discussed herein can include memory. Memory can comprise volatile or non-volatile memory as required by the coupled computing device or processor to not only provide space to execute the instructions or algorithms, but to provide the space to store the instructions themselves. In one embodiment, volatile memory can include random access memory (RAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or static random access memory (SRAM), for example. In one embodiment, non-volatile memory can include read-only memory, flash memory, ferroelectric RAM, hard disk, floppy disk, magnetic tape, or optical disc storage, for example. The foregoing lists in no way limit the type of memory that can be used, as these embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure.
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In one embodiment, the system or components thereof can comprise or include various modules or engines, each of which is constructed, programmed, configured, or otherwise adapted to autonomously carry out a function or set of functions. The term "engine" as used herein is defined as a real-world device, component, or arrangement of components implemented using hardware, such as by an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) or field programmable gate array (FPGA), for example, or as a combination of hardware and software, such as by a microprocessor system and a set of program instructions that adapt the engine to implement the particular functionality, which (while being executed) transform the microprocessor system into a special-purpose device. An engine can also be implemented as a combination of the two, with certain functions facilitated by hardware alone, and other functions facilitated by a combination of hardware and software. In certain implementations, at least a portion, and in some cases, all, of an engine can be executed on the processor(s) of one or more computing platforms that are made up of hardware (e.g., one or more processors, data storage devices such as memory or drive storage, input/output facilities such as network interface devices, video devices, keyboard, mouse or touchscreen devices, etc.) that execute an operating system, system programs, and application programs, while also implementing the engine using multitasking, multithreading, distributed (e.g., cluster, peer-peer, cloud, etc.) processing where appropriate, or other such techniques. Accordingly, each engine can be realized in a variety of physically realizable configurations, and should generally not be limited to any particular implementation exemplified herein, unless such limitations are expressly called out. In addition, an engine can itself be composed of more than one sub-engines, each of which can be regarded as an engine in its own right. Moreover, in the embodiments described herein, each of the various engines corresponds to a defined autonomous functionality; however, it should be understood that in other contemplated embodiments, each functionality can be distributed to more than one engine. Likewise, in other contemplated embodiments, multiple defined functionalities may be implemented by a single engine that performs those multiple functions, possibly alongside other functions, or distributed differently among a set of engines than specifically illustrated in the examples herein.
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Various embodiments of systems, devices, and methods have been described herein. These embodiments are given only by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the claimed inventions. It should be appreciated, moreover, that the various features of the embodiments that have been described may be combined in various ways to produce numerous additional embodiments. Moreover, while various materials, dimensions, shapes, configurations and locations, etc. have been described for use with disclosed embodiments, others besides those disclosed may be utilized without exceeding the scope of the claimed inventions.
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Persons of ordinary skill in the relevant arts will recognise that embodiments may comprise fewer features than illustrated in any individual embodiment described above. The embodiments described herein are not meant to be an exhaustive presentation of the ways in which the various features may be combined. Accordingly, the embodiments are not mutually exclusive combinations of features; rather, embodiments can comprise a combination of different individual features selected from different individual embodiments, as understood by persons of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, elements described with respect to one embodiment can be implemented in other embodiments even when not described in such embodiments unless otherwise noted. Although a dependent claim may refer in the claims to a specific combination with one or more other claims, other embodiments can also include a combination of the dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim or a combination of one or more features with other dependent or independent claims. Such combinations are proposed herein unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended. Furthermore, it is intended also to include features of a claim in any other independent claim even if this claim is not directly made dependent to the independent claim.
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Moreover, reference in the specification to "one embodiment," "an embodiment," or "some embodiments" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, described in connection with the embodiment, is included in at least one embodiment of the teaching. The appearances of the phrase "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment.
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Any incorporation by reference of documents above is limited such that no subject matter is incorporated that is contrary to the explicit disclosure herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is further limited such that no claims included in the documents are incorporated by reference herein. Any incorporation by reference of documents above is yet further limited such that any definitions provided in the documents are not incorporated by reference herein unless expressly included herein.
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Each feature disclosed herein, and (where appropriate) as part of the claims and drawings may be provided independently or in any appropriate combination.
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Any reference numerals appearing in the claims are for illustration only and shall not limit the scope of the claims.