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Quantum Plasmonic Sensing Beyond the Classical Limit

Mohammadjavad Dowran

Published Jan 24, 2020• 0 citations
OpenAlex

Abstract

The ultimate sensitivity of any optically based measurement using classical resources (for example, laser or thermal light) is constrained by the photon shot noise limit (SNL). However, quantum states of light, in which photon pairs have quantum correlations or entanglement, off er a path beyond this limit. In particular, “squeezing” in these quantum states makes it possible to lower the noise in the detection system below the SNL. This can signifi cantly enhance the sensitivity of real-world devices and could thus revolutionize optical-based sensing applications

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The ultimate sensitivity of any optically based measurement using classical resources (for example, laser or thermal light) is constrained by the photon shot noise limit (SNL). However, quantum states of light, in which photon pairs have quantum correlations or entanglement, off er a path beyond this limit. In particular, “squeezing” in these quantum states makes it possible to lower the noise in the detection system below the SNL. This can signifi cantly enhance the sensitivity of real-world devices and could thus revolutionize optical-based sensing applications
Optical sensors have applications in a range of settings, from measuring mechanical vibrations in manufacturing processes to biometrics in security devices and the detection of proteins and viruses in biomedical research. Many sensing approaches exist and plasmonic systems in particular have been studied extensively due to their ability to confine light below the diffraction limit, which greatly enhances their sensitivity compared to conventional approaches. Recently, various quantum techniques have been discovered that can outperform classical sensing ones and provide sensitivity beyond the shot-noise limit. The use of these quantum techniques in plasmonics for improving sensing performance is currently being explored. We study the performance of a plasmonic sensor that exploits the quantum nature of light and its highly confined field. We consider specialized quantum states and by comparison we show how each can provide improved sensitivity beyond the shot-noise limit.
Photonic sensors have many applications in a range of physical settings, from measuring mechanical pressure in manufacturing to detecting protein concentration in biomedical samples. A variety of sensing approaches exist, and plasmonic systems in particular have received much attention due to their ability to confine light below the diffraction limit, greatly enhancing sensitivity. Recently, quantum techniques have been identified that can outperform classical sensing methods and achieve sensitivity below the so-called shot-noise limit. Despite this significant potential, the use of definite photon number states in lossy plasmonic systems for further improving sensing capabilities is not well studied. Here, we investigate the sensing performance of a plasmonic interferometer that simultaneously exploits the quantum nature of light and its electromagnetic field confinement. We show that, despite the presence of loss, specialized quantum resources can provide improved sensitivity and resolution beyond the shot-noise limit within a compact plasmonic device operating below the diffraction limit.
Quantum sensing is an emerging field of quantum optics that seeks to take advantage of quantum correlations available in quantum states of light to enable sensitivities beyond the fundamental classical limits. \nThe sensitivity of measurements and sensing apparatus when using classical states of light is limited to the shot-noise limit (SNL), which is achieved with coherent states of light. \n \nTwo-mode squeezed states of light (twin beams) have quantum correlations both in time and space, leading to temporal and spatial squeezing properties. \nSeveral applications can benefit from such noise reduction to enable new approaches, such as quantum-enhanced interferometry, quantum imaging, and quantum sensing. \nThe emergence of quantum technologies has been referred to as the second quantum revolution. \nFor metrology and sensing applications, in particular, it has led to new state-of-the-art sensitivity limits. \n \nIn this thesis, we discuss the implementation of quantum sensing based on squeezed states of light and plasmonic sensors as a platform for the demonstration of real-life quantum sensing. \nWe present a quantum-enhanced plasmonic sensing setup that can detect changes in the refractive index of air beyond the SNL. \nFurthermore, we generalize such experimental apparatus to probe an array of sensors using the quantum correlations present in different spatial locations to demonstrate a parallel quantum-enhanced plasmonic sensing scheme that can simultaneously detect changes in the refractive index of air in multiple locations with a single probing beam. \nThese results prove the applicability of twin beams for real-life applications based on plasmonic sensors. \nThe spatially resolved sensing scheme can be extended to pixel-size sensing of multiple sensors for multi-parameter estimation and detection applications to reach more complex sensing architectures.
In the field of optics and photonics, plasmonic sensors have garnered considerable interest due to their outstanding sensitivity and impressive capacity to control light at the nanoscale. These sensors enable the integration of biochemical sensing platforms by exploiting the combination of enhanced and localized electromagnetic fields at the metal–dielectric interface, and they operate effectively below the diffraction limit. The performance of conventional plasmonic sensors, despite their practical development and commercial success, remains inherently constrained by classical noise constraints, owing to the quantum fluctuations of light, known as the shot-noise limit. Recent advances have introduced quantum optical resources such as entangled and squeezed light states to overcome inherent classical restrictions, thus giving rise to the quantum plasmonic sensing field. This interdisciplinary field combines the ability to enhance electric field capabilities with the precision of quantum metrology, enabling ultrasensitive chemical and biological detection that surpasses classical precision thresholds. In the last decades, theoretical models and experimental demonstrations have greatly advanced the development of quantum plasmonic sensors, improving our comprehension of quantum light–matter interactions and facilitating novel nanoscale sensing designs. This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of the fundamental principles, latest developments, and major concepts that have driven progress in quantum plasmonic sensing and shows that quantum components are being integrated into plasmonic systems, thereby transforming optical sensing to the quantum level.
Plasmonic sensors are important detectors of biochemical trace compounds, but those that utilize optical readout are approaching their absolute limits of detection as defined by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle in both differential intensity and phase readout. However, the use of more general minimum uncertainty states in the form of squeezed light can push the noise floor in these sensors below the shot noise limit (SNL) in one analysis variable at the expense of another. Here, we demonstrate a quantum plasmonic sensor whose noise floor is reduced below the SNL in order to perform index of refraction measurements with sensitivities unobtainable with classical plasmonic sensors. The increased signal-to-noise ratio can result in faster detection of analyte concentrations that were previously lost in the noise. These benefits are the hallmarks of a sensor exploiting quantum readout fields in order to manipulate the limits of the Heisenberg uncertainty principle.