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Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM)

A sensitive electrometer based on a Rydberg atom in a Schrödinger-cat state

Eva-Katharina Dietsche, Adrien Facon, Dorian Grosso, Frédéric Assémat, Arthur Larrouy, S. Haroche, J. M. Raimond, M. Brune, S. Gleyzes

Published Jan 1, 2017• 1 citation
Publisher

Abstract

We prepare a Schrodinger cat state of the Rydberg atom, superposition of states with different polarizability, and observe how the relative phase between the components provides a very sensitive signal to measure the electric field.
DOI
10.1364/qim.2017.qw3a.4

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The dynamics of quantum decoherence have been experimentally studied for the first time. A single circular Rydberg atom prepares in a high-quality superconducting cavity a ‚Schrödinger cat‘ state of the radiation field. This highly non-classical state is a quantum superposition of two coherent components with different classical phases. A second atom probes the cavity state after a tunable delay. The decay of the quantum correlations between the two atoms reveals the evolution of the initial quantum superposition into a mere statistical mixture. The time scale of this process decreases when the separation beween the two components increases. A simple theoretical model of the experiment is presented. The excellent agreement with the experimental signals confirms in a striking way the decoherence approach.
There is no fundamental limit to the precision of a classical measurement. The position of a meter's needle can be determined with an arbitrarily small uncertainty. In the quantum realm, however, fundamental quantum fluctuations due to the Heisenberg principle limit the measurement precision. The simplest measurement procedures, involving semi-classical states of the meter, lead to a fluctuation-limited imprecision at the standard quantum limit. By engineering the quantum state of the meter system, the measurement imprecision can be reduced down to the fundamental Heisenberg Limit (HL). Quantum-enabled metrology techniques are thus in high demand and the focus of an intense activity. We report here a quantum-enabled measurement of an electric field based on this approach. We cast Rydberg atoms in Schrödinger cat states, superpositions of atomic levels with radically different polarizabilites. We use a quantum interference process to perform a measurement close to the HL, reaching a single-shot sensitivity of 1.2 mV/cm for a 100 ns interaction time, corresponding to 30 μμμV/cm/Hz^(1/2) at our 3 kHz repetition rate. This highly sensitive, non-invasive space- and time-resolved field measurement extends the realm of electrometric techniques and could have important practical applications. Detection of individual electrons in mesoscopic devices at a ~100 μμμm distance, with a MegaHertz bandwith is within reach.