In their paper "Time-reversal-based quantum metrology with many-body entangled states" Nature Physics (2022), Colombo et. al. claim to measure both an unknown phase and an oscillating magnetic field with a precision that cannot be achieved using independent particles - a limit known as the standard quantum limit. By entangling an ensemble of $\sim300$ atoms, Colombo et. al. measure an angle of rotation away from a known initial state and additionally measure a magnetic field oscillating at 290 Hz. The authors report an experimental precision approximately a factor of 4 beyond what is possible with the same number of independent atoms (12.8 dB and 11.8 dB for these tasks respectively). These claims are incorrect. Colombo et. al. do not surpass the precision bound for 300 independent particles, nor do they even surpass the precision bound for a single particle. Colombo et. al. cite several experiments that surpass the standard quantum limit using entanglement. Each and every paper cited performs incorrect, incomplete or misleading comparisons of the type that we highlight here. The consequence being that the single particle precision bound has never been experimentally surpassed with entanglement.
In their paper "Time-reversal-based quantum metrology with many-body entangled states" Nature Physics (2022), Colombo et. al. claim to measure both an unknown phase and an oscillating magnetic field with a precision that cannot be achieved using independent particles - a limit known as the standard quantum limit. By entangling an ensemble of ∼300 atoms, Colombo et. al. measure an angle of rotation away from a known initial state and additionally measure a magnetic field oscillating at 290 Hz. The authors report an experimental precision approximately a factor of 4 beyond what is possible with the same number of independent atoms (12.8 dB and 11.8 dB for these tasks respectively). These claims are incorrect. Colombo et. al. do not surpass the precision bound for 300 independent particles, nor do they even surpass the precision bound for a single particle. Colombo et. al. cite several experiments that surpass the standard quantum limit using entanglement. Each and every paper cited performs incorrect, incomplete or misleading comparisons of the type that we highlight here. The consequence being that the single particle precision bound has never been experimentally surpassed with entanglement.
In their paper "Entanglement-enhanced matter-wave interferometry in a high-finesse cavity" Nature (2022), Greve et. al. claim to use entanglement in a matter-wave interferometer to achieve a sensitivity beyond that achievable with the same number of independent particles -- a limit known as the standard quantum limit (SQL). In particular, using squeezed momentum states of 700 atoms, the authors claim to directly observe a sensitivity 3.4 dB (a factor of 1.5) below the SQL. This claim is incorrect. The authors do not measure anything beyond the SQL, nor do they achieve a sensitivity beyond what one could obtain with a single atom. The achieved sensitivity is at least a factor of 39 worse than the claimed value.
It is widely accepted that quantum entanglement between otherwise independent sensors can yield a measurement precision beyond that achievable when the same resources are employed without entanglement \cite{Helstrom1969, Holevo1973a, Caves1980a, Caves1981, Wootters1981, Yurke1986, Wu1986, Xiao1987, Slusher1987, Shapiro1989, Wineland1992, Polzik1992, Kitagawa1993, Braunstein1994, Wineland1994, Sanders1995, Bollinger1996, Ou1997, Dowling1998,Soerensen1998, Brif1999, Childs2000, Fleischhauer2000, Meyer2001, Geremia2003, Giovannetti2004, Kok2004, Leibfried2004, Leibfried2005, Giovannetti2006, Nagata2007, Appel2009, Gross2010, Leroux2010, Zwierz2010,DemkowiczDobrzanski2012, Zwierz2012,Aasi2013,Pezze2018,Tse2019,Casacio2021}. Here we show that theoretical proofs of entanglement enhanced metrology are based on a misinterpretation of \emph{can't} theorems as \emph{can} theorems. In concert, we dissect claims of an experimental precision beyond the classical limits and detail where comparisons are misleading, incomplete or incorrect to show that the precision of optimised measurements which forgo entanglement has not been surpassed. In doing so, we highlight a significant discrepancy between experimentally reported uncertainties and the current predictions of quantum measurement theory. The discrepancy can be resolved by introducing a simple physical principle which demonstrates better agreement to empirical evidence. We thus provide viable avenues as to where standard interpretations of quantum mechanics should be modified in order to better predict measurement outcomes.
Recent developments in atomic physics have enabled the experimental generation of many-body entangled states to boost the performance of quantum sensors beyond the Standard Quantum Limit (SQL). This limit is imposed by the inherent projection noise of a quantum measurement. In this Perspective article, we describe the commonly used experimental methods to create many-body entangled states to operate quantum sensors beyond the SQL. In particular, we focus on the potential of applying quantum entanglement to state-of-the-art optical atomic clocks. In addition, we present recently developed time-reversal protocols that make use of complex states with high quantum Fisher information without requiring sub-SQL measurement resolution. We discuss the prospects for reaching near-Heisenberg limited quantum metrology based on such protocols.
In ``Distributed quantum sensing with mode-entangled spin-squeezed atomic states" Nature (2022), Malia et. al. claim to improve the precision of a network of clocks by using entanglement. In particular, by entangling a clock network with up to four nodes, a precision 11.6 dB better than the quantum projection noise limit (i.e. precision without any entanglement) is reported. These claims are incorrect, Malia et. al. do not achieve an improved precision with entanglement. Here we show their demonstration is more than two orders of magnitude worse than the quantum projection noise limit.
Precision measurement plays a vital role in metrology. To achieve the ultimate precision predicted by quantum theory, one can leverage quantum entanglement—correlations between particles of light or matter that cannot be explained in classical physics. The use of quantum entanglement in probing an object enhances measurement precision by a factor of √N beyond what is attainable with classical resources, where precision is typically limited by Poisson noise. Here, N represents the number of entangled particles. To date, most research efforts have focused on understanding and characterizing non-classical correlations between two particles. For instance, in 2022, optical clocks were synchronized using quantum entanglement, achieving frequency uncertainties of √2 lower than what is possible with non-entangled clocks. However, despite rapid advancements in single-particle sensing technologies, the generation and characterization of quantum correlation involving three or more particles remain an ongoing challenge. The absence of rigorous measurement standards for multi-particle entanglement, coupled with the lack of photon-number-resolving (PNR) detection capabilities, can lead to faulty measurements and reduced metrological accuracy and precision. It is therefore essential to establish robust methodologies and standards for the creation and validation of multi-particle entanglement to enable quantum-limited precision measurements. These developments will provide significant impacts in various fields, including optical astronomy, frequency standards, microscopy, and secure communication. The integration of entanglement-assisted sensors with PNR detection will enhance imaging resolution in applications such as astronomy and biological sample analysis. Additionally, standardized metrological frameworks for quantum entanglement and hardware evaluation will enhance the security level of quantum communication by mitigating vulnerabilities associated with inconsistencies arising from the use of dissimilar characterization methodologies. These fundamental research efforts will have far-reaching implications, not only improving the quality of quantum measurements but also guiding national metrology institutes in developing standardized quantum measurement protocols.
Entanglement-enhanced quantum metrology explores the utilization of quantum entanglement to enhance measurement precision. When particles in a probe are prepared into a suitable quantum entangled state, they may collectively accumulate information about the physical quantity to be measured, leading to an improvement in measurement precision beyond the standard quantum limit and approaching the Heisenberg limit. The rapid advancement of techniques for quantum manipulation and detection has enabled the generation, manipulation, and detection of multi-particle entangled states in synthetic quantum systems such as cold atoms and trapped ions. This article aims to review and illustrate the fundamental principles and experimental progresses that demonstrate multi-particle entanglement for quantum metrology, as well as discuss the potential applications of entanglement-enhanced quantum sensors.