Receiving amplitude-phase shift keying signals in microwave fields with a Rydberg atomic receiver

Abstract The Rydberg atomic receiver (RAR), characterized by its broad bandwidth, high sensitivity, traceability, and all-optical readout, has substantial potential in wireless communication. We implement the reception of amplitude-phase shift keying (APSK) modulated microwave signals using the RAR, where its self-demodulation capability, based on electromagnetically induced transparency (EIT) and Autler–Townes (AT) splitting, preserves amplitude and phase information for decoding and data recovery. The relationship between amplitude and phase encoding orders in different APSK schemes and the bit error rate (BER) is explored. Relative to conventional amplitude-shift keying (ASK), APSK extends the phase dimension to increase data capacity proportional to the number of phase states. Additionally, APSK allows control of symbol durations, and the impact of varying symbol durations on data recovery is assessed through image transmission. This work utilizes the self-demodulation capabilities of the RAR to implement APSK within a quantum framework, thereby providing new insights for advancing quantum sensing and communication applications.