Quantum frequency estimation with trapped ions and atoms

Abstract

We discuss strategies for quantum-enhanced estimation of atomic transition frequencies with ions stored in Paul traps or neutral atoms trapped in optical lattices. We show that only marginal quantum improvements can be achieved using standard Ramsey interferometry in the presence of collective dephasing, which is the major source of noise in relevant experimental setups. We therefore analyze methods based on decoherence free subspaces and prove that quantum enhancement can readily be achieved even in the case of significantly imperfect state preparation and faulty detections.