Magnetometry via a double-pass continuous quantum measurement of atomic spin

We argue that it is possible in principle to reduce the uncertainty of an atomic magnetometer by double-passing a far-detuned laser field through the atomic sample as it undergoes Larmor precession. Numerical simulations of the quantum Fisher information suggest that, despite the lack of explicit multi-body coupling terms in the system's magnetic Hamiltonian, the parameter estimation uncertainty in such a physical setup scales better than the conventional Heisenberg uncertainty limit over a specified but arbitrary range of particle number N. Using the methods of quantum stochastic calculus and filtering theory, we demonstrate numerically an explicit parameter estimator (called a quantum particle filter) whose observed scaling follows that of our calculated quantum Fisher information. Moreover, the quantum particle filter quantitatively surpasses the uncertainty limit calculated from the quantum Cramer-Rao inequality based on a magnetic coupling Hamiltonian with only single-body operators. We also show that a quantum Kalman filter is insufficient to obtain super-Heisenberg scaling, and present evidence that such scaling necessitates going beyond the manifold of Gaussian atomic states.Comment: 17 pages, updated to match print versio

Quantum projection filter for a highly nonlinear model in cavity QED

Both in classical and quantum stochastic control theory a major role is played by the filtering equation, which recursively updates the information state of the system under observation. Unfortunately, the theory is plagued by infinite-dimensionality of the information state which severely limits its practical applicability, except in a few select cases (e.g. the linear Gaussian case.) One solution proposed in classical filtering theory is that of the projection filter. In this scheme, the filter is constrained to evolve in a finite-dimensional family of densities through orthogonal projection on the tangent space with respect to the Fisher metric. Here we apply this approach to the simple but highly nonlinear quantum model of optical phase bistability of a stongly coupled two-level atom in an optical cavity. We observe near-optimal performance of the quantum projection filter, demonstrating the utility of such an approach.Comment: 19 pages, 6 figures. A version with high quality images can be found at http://minty.caltech.edu/papers.ph

Quantum sensing

"Quantum sensing" describes the use of a quantum system, quantum properties or quantum phenomena to perform a measurement of a physical quantity. Historical examples of quantum sensors include magnetometers based on superconducting quantum interference devices and atomic vapors, or atomic clocks. More recently, quantum sensing has become a distinct and rapidly growing branch of research within the area of quantum science and technology, with the most common platforms being spin qubits, trapped ions and flux qubits. The field is expected to provide new opportunities - especially with regard to high sensitivity and precision - in applied physics and other areas of science. In this review, we provide an introduction to the basic principles, methods and concepts of quantum sensing from the viewpoint of the interested experimentalist.Comment: 45 pages, 13 figures. Submitted to Rev. Mod. Phy