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arXiv:2609.16975

Spin Grid States for Quantum Metrology in Atomic Clocks Limited by Spontaneous Emission

Marius Burgath, Klemens Hammerer

quant-phSubmitted Sep 15, 2026• Announced Sep 16, 2026• 0 citations
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Abstract

Entanglement can enhance precision in phase estimation and in frequency estimation with atomic clocks, but it remains a central challenge to identify useful states and measurements under realistic noise processes. Here, we study quantum metrology with an ensemble of atoms subject to spontaneous emission, which limits frequency estimation by constraining the useful interrogation time. We identify spin grid states (SGSs) as the relevant near-optimal probes beyond a crossover at an ensemble size of 51, where GHZ-like states cease to be optimal. SGSs display a periodic grid on the Bloch sphere and can be generated with two one-axis-twisting (OAT) operations separated by a collective rotation. By optimizing the quantum Fisher information over permutationally symmetric states, we find that SGSs perform close to the globally optimal probes for intermediate and large ensembles, which turn out to be spin GKP states. We further present a sequential readout strategy that nearly saturates the corresponding quantum Fisher information. This strategy uses an OAT echo to map spontaneous-emission events onto collective rotations, making the corresponding jump sectors distinguishable and allowing the measurement basis to be conditioned on the number of decay events. Together, these results show that SGSs provide a practical route to quantum-enhanced phase and frequency metrology in atomic ensembles limited by spontaneous emission.

Comments
22 pages, 6 figures

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Entanglement can enhance precision in phase estimation and in frequency estimation with atomic clocks, but it remains a central challenge to identify useful states and measurements under realistic noise processes. Here, we study quantum metrology with an ensemble of atoms subject to spontaneous emission, which limits frequency estimation by constraining the useful interrogation time. We identify spin grid states (SGSs) as the relevant near-optimal probes beyond a crossover at an ensemble size of 51, where GHZ-like states cease to be optimal. SGSs display a periodic grid on the Bloch sphere and can be generated with two one-axis-twisting (OAT) operations separated by a collective rotation. By optimizing the quantum Fisher information over permutationally symmetric states, we find that SGSs perform close to the globally optimal probes for intermediate and large ensembles, which turn out to be spin GKP states. We further present a sequential readout strategy that nearly saturates the corresponding quantum Fisher information. This strategy uses an OAT echo to map spontaneous-emission events onto collective rotations, making the corresponding jump sectors distinguishable and allowing the measurement basis to be conditioned on the number of decay events. Together, these results show that SGSs provide a practical route to quantum-enhanced phase and frequency metrology in atomic ensembles limited by spontaneous emission.
Ramsey interferometry is routinely used in quantum metrology for the most sensitive measurements of optical clock frequencies. Spontaneous decay to the electromagnetic vacuum ultimately limits the interrogation time and thus sets a lower bound to the optimal frequency sensitivity. In dense ensembles of two-level systems, the presence of collective effects such as superradiance and dipole-dipole interaction tends to decrease the sensitivity even further. We show that by a redesign of the Ramsey-pulse sequence to include different rotations of individual spins that effectively fold the collective state onto a state close to the center of the Bloch sphere, partial protection from collective decoherence is possible. This allows a significant improvement in the sensitivity limit of a clock transition detection scheme over the conventional Ramsey method for interacting systems and even for noninteracting decaying atoms.
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Interference provides a fundamental mechanism for generating and manipulating entanglement in many-body quantum systems. Here, we develop an interference framework in which the nonlinear dynamics of collective spin-12\tfrac{1}{2}21​ ensembles are mapped onto phase accumulation and self-interference in phase space, providing a direct and physically transparent description of entanglement formation. Within this framework, one-axis twisting produces Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger (GHZ) states, while two-axis twisting generates multi-component GHZ superpositions relevant for multiparameter quantum metrology. Building on this interference-based description, we analyze metrological performance under realistic Markovian noise, including local and collective emission, pumping, and dephasing, and examine the role of Hamiltonian control based on linear and nonlinear interactions. We show that the optimal control enhances sensitivity in both single- and multiparameter estimation across noise-dependent regimes. These results establish interference as a unifying principle linking nonlinear dynamics, entanglement generation, and metrological performance. This framework offers a broadly applicable route to robust quantum-enhanced sensing in noisy many-body systems.
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Frequency metrology is a cornerstone of modern precision measurements and optical atomic clocks have emerged as one of the most precise measurement devices. In this progress report, we explore various Ramsey interrogation schemes tailored to optical atomic clocks primarily limited by laser noise. To incorporate frequency fluctuations directly into the theoretical model, we consider a Bayesian framework. In this context, we review fundamental bounds arising in Bayesian estimation theory, which serve as a benchmark throughout this work. We investigate the trade-off between entanglement-enhanced sensitivity and robustness against laser noise in order to identify optimal initial states, measurement schemes and estimation strategies. Beside standard protocols based on coherent spin states, spin-squeezed states and Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, we consider variational Ramsey protocols implemented via low-depth quantum circuits based on one-axis twisting operations to approach optimal stability. In particular, we review known and identify new optimal Ramsey interrogation schemes for a variety of scenarios, including different experimental platforms, ensemble sizes and regimes characterized by a wide range of interrogation durations and dead times. Hence, this work establishes a comprehensive theoretical framework for optimizing Ramsey interrogation schemes, providing guidance for the development of next-generation optical atomic clocks.
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.