Essay: Quantum Sensing with Atomic, Molecular, and Optical Platforms for Fundamental Physics

Atomic, molecular, and optical (AMO) physics has been at the forefront of the development of quantum science while laying the foundation for modern technology. With the growing capabilities of quantum control of many atoms for engineered many-body states and quantum entanglement, a key question emerges: what critical impact will the second quantum revolution with ubiquitous applications of entanglement bring to bear on fundamental physics? In this Essay, we argue that a compelling long-term vision for fundamental physics and novel applications is to harness the rapid development of quantum information science to define and advance the frontiers of measurement physics, with strong potential for fundamental discoveries. As quantum technologies, such as fault-tolerant quantum computing and entangled quantum sensor networks, become much more advanced than today’s realization, we wonder what doors of basic science can these tools unlock. We anticipate that some of the most intriguing and challenging problems, such as quantum aspects of gravity, fundamental symmetries, or new physics beyond the minimal standard model, will be tackled at the emerging quantum measurement frontier.

Part of a series of Essays which concisely present author visions for the future of their field.

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Quantum system design and engineering to open new frontiers for quantum sensing. (a) A quantum network that links individual clocks in space with enhanced performance and security based on their entangled quantum states. The optimal use of global resources and quantum-enabled precision and accuracy also represent a unique long-baseline observatory for fundamental physics [6]. (b) A Wannier-Stark optical lattice where clock (spin) and atom interferometer (motion) are integrated into a single quantum platform [7]. Cavity-QED-based entanglement generation will further enhance the probing of clock frequency, coherence, and gravity [8]. (c) A new monolithic ion trap configuration allows a two-dimensional arrangement of laser-cooled ions for quantum simulations of spin models and increased sensing capabilities [9]. (d) A tweezer array of neutral atoms that enable any-to-any connectivity among hundreds of atomic qubits with universal local single-qubit rotations and high-fidelity two-qubit Rydberg gates. Fast midcircuit readout and feedforward can be implemented together with parallel transport in reconfigurable array architecture [10, 11]. (e) The generation of GHZ entangled states for enhanced interferometric sensitivity in clock operation, reaching the Heisenberg limit where the phase sensitivity scales with the inverse of particle number $N$. This is the best possible outcome defined by quantum physics [11, 12].

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Jun Ye

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Peter Zoller