Quantum-enhanced Measurements Research Articles

Intuitive reason for the usefulness of entanglement in quantum metrology

We show why and when entanglement is needed for quantum-enhanced precision measurements, and which type of entanglement is useful. We give a simple, intuitive construction that shows how entanglement transforms parallel estimation strategies into sequential ones of same precision. We employ this argument to generalize conventional quantum metrology, to identify a class of noise whose effects can be easily managed, and to treat the case of indistinguishable probes (such as interferometry with light).

A universal matter-wave interferometer with optical ionization gratings in the time-domain.

Matter-wave interferometry with atoms1 and molecules2 has attracted a rapidly growing interest throughout the last two decades both in demonstrations of fundamental quantum phenomena and in quantum-enhanced precision measurements. Such experiments exploit the non-classical superposition of two or more position and momentum states which are coherently split and rejoined to interfere3-11.Here, we present the experimental realization of a universal near-field interferometer built from three short-pulse single-photon ionization gratings12,13. We observe quantum interference of fast molecular clusters, with a composite de Broglie wavelength as small as 275 fm. Optical ionization gratings are largely independent of the specific internal level structure and are therefore universally applicable to different kinds of nanoparticles, ranging from atoms to clusters, molecules and nanospheres. The interferometer is sensitive to fringe shifts as small as a few nanometers and yet robust against velocity-dependent phase shifts, since the gratings exist only for nanoseconds and form an interferometer in the time-domain.

Heralding Two-Photon and Four-Photon Path Entanglement on a Chip

Generating quantum entanglement is not only an important scientific endeavor, but will be essential to realizing quantum-enhanced technologies, in particular, quantum-enhanced measurements with precision beyond classical limits. We investigate the heralded generation of multiphoton entanglement for quantum metrology using a reconfigurable integrated waveguide device in which projective measurement of auxiliary photons heralds the generation of path-entangled states. We use four and six-photon inputs, to analyze the heralding process of two- and four-photon NOON states-a superposition of N photons in two paths, capable of enabling phase supersensitive measurements at the Heisenberg limit. Realistic devices will include imperfections; as part of the heralded state preparation, we demonstrate phase superresolution within our chip with a state that is more robust to photon loss.

Heisenberg-limited sensitivity with decoherence-enhanced measurements

Quantum-enhanced measurements use quantum mechanical effects to enhance the sensitivity of the measurement of classical quantities, such as the length of an optical cavity. The major goal is to beat the standard quantum limit (SQL), that is, an uncertainty of order , where N is the number of quantum resources (for example, the number of photons or atoms used), and to achieve a scaling 1/N, known as the Heisenberg limit. So far very few experiments have demonstrated an improvement over the SQL. The required quantum states are generally highly entangled, difficult to produce, and very prone to decoherence. Here, we show that Heisenberg-limited measurements can be achieved without the use of entangled states by coupling the quantum resources to a common environment that can be measured at least in part. The method is robust under decoherence, and in fact the parameter dependence of collective decoherence itself can be used to reach a 1/N scaling.

Machine Learning for Precise Quantum Measurement

Adaptive feedback schemes are promising for quantum-enhanced measurements yet are complicated to design. Machine learning can autonomously generate algorithms in a classical setting. Here we adapt machine learning for quantum information and use our framework to generate autonomous adaptive feedback schemes for quantum measurement. In particular, our approach replaces guesswork in quantum measurement by a logical, fully automatic, programable routine. We show that our method yields schemes that outperform the best known adaptive scheme for interferometric phase estimation.

Quantum states made to measure

Recent progress in manipulating quantum states of light and matter brings quantum-enhanced measurements closer to prospective applications. The current challenge is to make quantum metrologic strategies robust against imperfections.