Quantum metrology with Bloch oscillations in Floquet phase space

Abstract

Quantum particles performing Bloch oscillations in a spatially periodic potential can be used as a very accurate detector of constant forces. We find that the similar oscillations that can appear in the Floquet phase space of a quantum particle subjected a periodic temporal driving, even in the absence of periodic lattice potential, can likewise be exploited as detectors. Compared with their spatial Bloch analog, however, the Floquet-Bloch oscillations provide significant added flexibility and open the way to a broad range of precision metrology applications. We illustrate this property on the examples of a tachometer and a magnetometer.