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arXiv:2608.26630

Quantum-enhanced single and multiparameter metrology in qutrit ensembles by generalized twisting dynamics

Deep Datta, Sayam Chakraborty, John Drew Wilson, Vaibhav Madhok, Athreya Shankar

quant-phSubmitted Aug 27, 2026• Announced Aug 28, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Quantum-enhanced sensing with atomic ensembles has predominantly focused on qubit-based protocols, despite the growing ability of many experimental platforms to coherently control and entangle multi-level systems. Here, we investigate quantum-enhanced sensing with qutrit ensembles by introducing three experimentally feasible qutrit generalisations of the one-axis twisting (OAT) model that involve entangling operations only between two levels, while the third level primarily acts as a spectator. We characterize the metrological utility of the dynamically generated states using the quantum Fisher information toolbox. We find numerically that all three models offer considerable freedom in encoding direction for quantum-enhanced sensing, with up to 6 out of 8 possible directions exhibit near-Heisenberg scaling after a short evolution time. We discuss experimental access to this enhanced metrological precision via effective time-reversal protocols. Furthermore, we examine the practical issues of estimation ambiguity and local dissipation, and show that they can be largely overcome by optimizing the sensor operating point. Finally, we show that the measurement incompatibility in estimating multiple parameters simultaneously encoded in different directions with near-Heisenberg scaling of precision is suppressed at the zero operating point as the system size increases. In the process, we find that one of the models enables near-Heisenberg scaling metrology with a pair of commuting generators, a possibility that arises from the $su(3)$ algebra and is thus absent in qubit-ensemble based sensors of collective $SU(2)$ rotations.

Comments
16 pages, 9 figures; comments welcome

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Quantum-enhanced sensing with atomic ensembles has predominantly focused on qubit-based protocols, despite the growing ability of many experimental platforms to coherently control and entangle multi-level systems. Here, we investigate quantum-enhanced sensing with qutrit ensembles by introducing three experimentally feasible qutrit generalisations of the one-axis twisting (OAT) model that involve entangling operations only between two levels, while the third level primarily acts as a spectator. We characterize the metrological utility of the dynamically generated states using the quantum Fisher information toolbox. We find numerically that all three models offer considerable freedom in encoding direction for quantum-enhanced sensing, with up to 6 out of 8 possible directions exhibit near-Heisenberg scaling after a short evolution time. We discuss experimental access to this enhanced metrological precision via effective time-reversal protocols. Furthermore, we examine the practical issues of estimation ambiguity and local dissipation, and show that they can be largely overcome by optimizing the sensor operating point. Finally, we show that the measurement incompatibility in estimating multiple parameters simultaneously encoded in different directions with near-Heisenberg scaling of precision is suppressed at the zero operating point as the system size increases. In the process, we find that one of the models enables near-Heisenberg scaling metrology with a pair of commuting generators, a possibility that arises from the su(3)su(3)su(3) algebra and is thus absent in qubit-ensemble based sensors of collective SU(2)SU(2)SU(2) rotations.
Abstract Entanglement is one of the key ingredients for enhancing the measurement precision of quantum sensors. Generally, there is a trade-off between state preparation and sensing within a limited coherence time. To fully exploit temporal resources, concurrent entanglement generation and sensing with designed sequence of rotations are proposed. Based on twist-and-turn dynamics, modulated rotations along only one axis may be sufficient to drive the state to the optimal one for tiny estimated parameter. However, when the estimated parameter is not tiny, it may impact the evolved state and hence degrade the final measurement precision. Here, we introduce another modulated rotations along different axis and find out the optimal control sequences by means of machine optimization. The optimal measurement precision bounds become independent on the estimated parameter, which improves the dynamic range of the machine designed sensors. Particularly, by optimizing the interaction strength for different particle number and the time-modulated rotations along two different axes via machine optimization, the Heisenberg-limited precision scaling can be attained. Our work points out a way for designing optimized quantum-enhanced metrology protocols, which is promising for developing practical quantum sensors.
We propose a quantum-enhanced metrology protocol known as partially concurrent twisting and sensing (PCTS) to effectively utilize time for high-precision sensing. In contrast to the traditional approach of separated twisting and sensing (STS), we concurrently execute twisting and sensing at the outset. Here, we explore one-axis twisting (OAT) over a short evolution period to induce spin squeezing, which has been used in several quantum-enhanced metrology. In particular for tiny estimated parameter, we analytically give the measurement precision of PCTS and demonstrate its metrological advantages compared with STS. Especially for modest particle number and OAT interaction strength, PCTS makes better use of entanglement generation time and achieves a larger metrological gain within the same total time. We estimate that our PCTS may offer up to 2 dB of metrological advantage over STS in realistic experiments with Bose condensed atoms or trapped ions. Although the measurement precision of PCTS may diminish with increasing estimated parameters, we can employ two hybrid classical-PCTS compensation techniques to facilitate high-precision measurements across a wide dynamic range. Furthermore, our approach eliminates the need to switch the estimated field, thereby reducing experimental demands and offering extensive application potential in atomic clocks and magnetometers.
Quantum metrology harnesses entanglement to improve measurement precision beyond classical limits. While standard protocols rely on two-level qubits to estimate a single parameter, extending them to entangled multi-level qudits enables the optimal simultaneous estimation of multiple parameters within a single probe. However, generating such multi-level entanglement and harnessing it for joint multi-parameter estimation in atomic clocks has remained an outstanding challenge. Here, we experimentally demonstrate genuine qutrit entanglement and joint multi-parameter estimation in an optical clock platform. Leveraging control over the ground state and two fine-structure clock states of 88Sr^{88}\text{Sr}88Sr atoms trapped in triple-magic optical tweezers, we generate a maximally entangled two-qutrit state with a loss-postselected fidelity of F = 0.85(1), certifying genuine multi-level entanglement. Taking advantage of this high-dimensional entanglement, we theoretically construct and experimentally realize an optimal two-qutrit metrological probe state and noise-robust readout circuit to simultaneously estimate injected phases on two optical clock transitions. We observe a joint estimation variance below the ideal individual two-level sensing threshold, and show theoretically that this advantage persists at state-of-the-art atom numbers under circuit-level noise. These results demonstrate the key building blocks towards quantum information science with high-dimensional states encoded in the internal energy levels of neutral atoms.
Twist-untwist protocols for quantum metrology consist of a serial application of (1) unitary nonlinear dynamics (e.g., spin squeezing or Kerr nonlinearity), (2) parameterized dynamics $U(\ensuremath{\phi})$ (e.g., a collective rotation or phase space displacement), and (3) time reversed application of step 1. Such protocols are known to produce states that allow Heisenberg scaling for experimentally accessible estimators of $\ensuremath{\phi}$ even when the nonlinearities are applied for times much shorter than required to produce Schr\"odinger cat states. In this work, we prove that, asymptotically in the number of particles, twist-untwist protocols provide the lowest estimation error among quantum metrology protocols that utilize two calls to a weakly nonlinear evolution and a readout involving only first and second moments of a total spin operator $\stackrel{P\vec}{n}\ifmmode\cdot\else\textperiodcentered\fi{}\stackrel{P\vec}{J}$. We consider the following physical settings: all-to-all interactions generated by one-axis twisting Jz2{J}_{z}^{2}Jz2​ (e.g., interacting Bose gases), constant finite range spin-spin interactions of distinguishable or bosonic atoms (e.g., trapped ions or Rydberg atoms, or lattice bosons). In these settings, we further show that the optimal twist-untwist protocols asymptotically achieve 85% and 92% of the respective quantum Cram\'er-Rao bounds. We show that the error of a twist-untwist protocol can be decreased by a factor of LLL without an increase in the noise of the spin measurement if the twist-untwist protocol can be noiselessly iterated as an LLL layer quantum alternating operator ansatz.
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)\text{SU}(2)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)\text{SU}(4)SU(4), thereby creating the opportunity for dynamics not possible in typical SU(2)\text{SU}(2)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.
Spin squeezing generated via inter-atom entanglement in multilevel atomic ensembles provides a powerful resource for quantum-enhanced metrology. Existing schemes that harness internal atomic degrees of freedom to boost squeezing typically encode the collective squeezing in complex superpositions of magnetic sublevels, which complicates state control and limits practical applications. Here, we propose a coherent control scheme that simultaneously enhances collective spin squeezing and maps the resulting atom-atom entanglement onto two well-defined magnetic sublevels suitable for subsequent metrology experiments. Our protocol sandwiches a quantum non-demolition measurement between two internal one-axis-twisting interactions arranged in an echo sequence. We show that this approach can optimally leverage internal states to boost the inter-atom entanglement and, at the same time, encode it in two magnetic sublevels, which is readily convertible into metrologically useful spin squeezing. Our results offer a straightforward and efficient strategy for generating highly entangled yet readily accessible quantum states in multilevel atomic systems.