A Novel Rydberg Atom-Based Time Receiving System with Nanosecond-jitter for eLoran Signals

Rydberg atom-based time receiving systems enable high-sensitivity demodulation of long-wave signals for precise one-pulse-per-second (1PPS) output, surpassing limitations of conventional electronic long-wave receivers. Here, we first report the theoretical and experimental demonstration of a nanosecond-jitter Rydberg time receiving system for eLoran signals. We establish a novel theoretical model that quantitatively reveals the relationship between timing jitter and system parameters exemplified by DC Stark shift and coupling-beam Rabi frequency. Experimentally, we first demonstrate timing 1PPS output based on atomic system, achieving a root-mean-square (RMS) timing jitter of 27.90 ± 0.39 ns. Furthermore, we demonstrate timing performance of our system across high noise levels or low input signal amplitudes, validating the robustness under practical weak eLoran signal. This work validates the feasibility of Rydberg atom-based architectures for high-precision ground-based timing and establishes a performance benchmark for next-generation atomic-optical positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) systems.