The creation and manipulation of quantum entanglement is central to improving precision measurements. A principal method of generating entanglement for use in atom interferometry is the process of spin squeezing whereupon the states become more sensitive to
SU(2) rotations. One possibility to generate this entanglement is provided by one-axis twisting (OAT), where a many-particle entangled state of one degree of freedom is generated by a nonlinear Hamiltonian. We introduce a method which goes beyond OAT to create squeezing and entanglement across two distinct degrees of freedom. We present our work in the specific physical context of a system consisting of collective atomic energy levels and discrete collective momentum states, but also consider other possible realizations. Our system uses a nonlinear Hamiltonian to generate dynamics in
SU(4), thereby creating the opportunity for dynamics not possible in typical
SU(2) one-axis twisting. This leads to three axes undergoing twisting due to the two degrees of freedom and their entanglement, with the resulting potential for a more rich context of quantum entanglement. The states prepared in this system are potentially more versatile for use in multiparameter or auxiliary measurement schemes than those prepared by standard spin squeezing.
Squeezed spin states possess unique quantum correlation or entanglement and are significantly promising for advancing quantum information processing and quantum metrology. In recent back-to-back publications [C. Gross et al., Nature (London) 464, 1165 (2010) and Max F. Riedel et al., Nature (London) 464, 1170 (2010)], reduced spin fluctuations are observed leading to spin squeezing at -8.2 and -2.5 dB, respectively, in two-component atomic condensates exhibiting one-axis-twisting interactions. The noise reduction limit for the one-axis twisting scales as ∝1/N(2/3), which for a condensate with N∼10(3) atoms is about 100 times below the standard quantum limit. We present a scheme using repeated Rabi pulses capable of transforming the one-axis-twisting spin squeezing into the two-axis-twisting type, leading to Heisenberg limited noise reduction ∝1/N or an extra tenfold improvement for N∼10(3).
A unified tensor description of quadratic spin squeezing interactions is proposed, covering the single- and two-axis twisting as special cases of a general scheme. A closed set of equations of motion of the first moments and variances is derived in Gaussian approximation, and their solutions are discussed from the prospect of fastest squeezing generation. It turns out that the optimum rate of squeezing generation is governed by the difference between the largest and the smallest eigenvalues of the twisting tensor. A cascaded optical interferometer with Kerr nonlinear media is proposed as one of possible realizations of the general scheme.
We present a detailed analysis of spin squeezing of the one-axis twisting model with a many-body phase dephasing, which is induced by external field fluctuation in a two-mode Bose-Einstein condensates. Even in the presence of the dephasing, our analytical results show that the optimal initial state corresponds to a coherent spin state
∣θ0,ϕ0⟩ with the polar angle
θ0=π/2. If the dephasing rate
γ≪S−1/3, where
S is total atomic spin, we find that the smallest value of squeezing parameter (i.e., the strongest squeezing) obeys the same scaling with the ideal one-axis twisting case, namely
ξ2∝S−2/3. While for a moderate dephasing, the achievable squeezing obeys the power rule
S−2/5, which is slightly worse than the ideal case. When the dephasing rate
γ>S1/2, we show that the squeezing is weak and neglectable.
In two-component Bose-Einstein condensates, the one-axis twisting Hamiltonian leads to spin squeezing with a limitation that scales with the number of atoms as ${N}^{\ensuremath{-}2/3}$. We propose a scheme to transform the one-axis twisting Hamiltonian into a two-axis twisting Hamiltonian, resulting in enhanced spin squeezing proportional to ${N}^{\ensuremath{-}1}$ approaching the Heisenberg limit. Instead of pulse sequences, only one continuous driving field is required to realize such a transformation, thus the scheme is promising for experimental realization of a two-axis twisting Hamiltonian. Quantum information processing and quantum metrology may benefit from this method in the future.
Ultracold atoms in an ultrahigh-finesse optical cavity are a powerful platform to produce spin squeezing since photon of cavity mode can induce nonlinear spin-spin interaction and thus generate a one-axis twisting Hamiltonian
HOAT=qJx2, whose corresponding maximal squeezing factor scales as
N−2/3, where
N is the atomic number. On the contrary, for the other two-axis twisting Hamiltonian
HTAT=q(Jx2−Jy2), the maximal squeezing factor scales as
N−1, approaching the Heisenberg limit. In this paper, inspired by recent experiments of cavity-assisted Raman transitions, we propose a scheme, in which an ensemble of ultracold six-level atoms interacts with two quantized cavity fields and two pairs of Raman lasers, to realize a tunable two-axis spin Hamiltonian
. For proper parameters, the above one- and two- axis twisting Hamiltonians are recovered, and the scaling of
N−1 of the maximal squeezing factor can occur naturally. On the other hand, in the two-axis twisting Hamiltonian, spin squeezing is usually reduced when increasing the effective atomic resonant frequency
ω0. Surprisingly, we find that by combined with the dimensionless parameter
χ(>−1), the effective atomic resonant frequency
ω0 can enhance spin squeezing largely. These results are benefit for achieving the required spin squeezing in experiments.