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arXiv:quant-ph/0512186 · Journal of Modern Optics

Squeezing and entangling nuclear spins in helium 3

Gael Reinaudi, Alice Sinatra, Aurélien Dantan, M. Pinard

Published Aug 28, 2006• 11 citations
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Abstract

We present a realistic model for transferring the squeezing or the entanglement of optical field modes to the collective ground state nuclear spin of 3He using metastability exchange collisions. We discuss in detail the requirements for obtaining good quantum state transfer efficiency and study the possibility to readout the nuclear spin state optically.

DOI
10.1080/09500340600677005

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We present a realistic model for transferring the squeezing or the entanglement of optical field modes to the collective ground state nuclear spin of 3He using metastability exchange collisions. We discuss in detail the requirements for obtaining good quantum state transfer efficiency and study the possibility to readout the nuclear spin state optically.
We propose a technique to control the macroscopic collective nuclear spin of a helium-3 gas in the quantum regime using light. The scheme relies on metastability exchange collisions to mediate interactions between optically accessible metastable states and the ground-state nuclear spin, giving rise to an effective nuclear spin-light quantum nondemolition interaction of the Faraday form. Our technique enables measurement-based quantum control of nuclear spins, such as the preparation of spin-squeezed states. This, combined with the day-long coherence time of nuclear spin states in helium-3, opens the possibility for a number of applications in quantum technology.
Helium-3 nuclear spins form an exceptionally stable quantum system with extremely long coherence time, offering exciting opportunities for quantum technologies. In particular, nuclear spin-squeezed states promise enhanced precision for sensing tasks and tests of new physics. A central challenge for all these applications is the realization of a controllable light-nuclear spin interface. Here we experimentally demonstrate such an interface by exploiting metastability-exchange collisions in a low-pressure helium-3 gas cell at room temperature. A radio-frequency discharge produces a small population of metastable atoms that both enables efficient optical pumping and mediates an effective Faraday interaction between the collective nuclear spin and an optical probe. We quantitatively characterize the strength of this interaction as a function of the nuclear polarization, applied magnetic field, and probe-beam parameters. Moreover, we show that using a multi-pass cell enhances this interaction by effectively increasing the optical depth. Extrapolating to a tenfold increase of the probe power used in the present experiment, we project a measurement-induced squeezing rate of 0.52 s−1^{-1}−1. Our results provide a practical pathway for optical access to helium-3 nuclear spins and open prospects for generating long-lived, macroscopic nuclear spin-squeezed states for quantum metrology.
Abstract We derive the semiclassical evolution equations for a system consisting of helium-3 atoms in the 2 3 S metastable state interacting with a light field far-detuned from the 2 3 S − 2 3 P transition, in the presence of metastability exchange collisions with ground state helium atoms and a static magnetic field. For two configurations, each corresponding to a particular choice of atom–light detuning in which the contribution of either the metastable level F = 1 / 2 or F = 3 / 2 is dominant, we derive a simple model of three coupled collective spins from which we can analytically extract an effective coupling constant between the collective nuclear spin and light. In these two configurations, we compare the predictions of our simplified model with the full model.
Metastability-exchange collisions (MECs) lie at the heart of metastability-exchange optical pumping (MEOP) in 3He, enabling the transfer of polarization from the metastable state to the ground state, as well as the optical detection of nuclear magnetic resonance. Leveraging MECs, optically pumped 3He nuclear magnetometers have been developed since the earliest demonstrations of MEOP. However, it also induces an additional frequency shift and relaxation of the nuclear spin precession, thereby limiting the sensitivity of the magnetometer. In this work, we identify a new source of frequency shift and relaxation in the 3He nuclear spin, arising from the light shift. This effect arises from an MEC-mediated interaction between light and the nucleon spin. We develop a theoretical model to describe this light-induced effect and highlight its significance in low magnetic fields. This effect is experimentally demonstrated, and its dependence on various parameters -- including magnetic field strength, light intensity, and wavelength -- is investigated. Our result provides a better understanding of the frequency shift and relaxation of 3He spin precession under MEOP conditions. Moreover, our experiment reveals an MEC-mediated coupling between the 3He nuclear spin and light, which may indicate the feasibility of MEC-assisted optical manipulation of 3He nuclear spins at the quantum level, as proposed in several theoretical schemes.
Isolation from environment leads to the days-long lifetime of noble-gas nuclear spins, but also brings great challenges to the preparation, manipulation, and measurement of nuclear-spin quantum states. Here we find that nuclear spin squeezing, with ultra-long lifetime and huge atomic number, can be efficiently obtained and manipulated based on the coherent spin-exchange interaction between alkali-metal and noble-gas ensembles. Thanks to the considerable advantage of our proposal in preparing the spin squeezing of the macroscopic atomic ensemble with a huge atomic number, even the nuclear spin-squeezed state containing 10^20 atoms or more is obtainable with preexisting techniques. Further, the days-long storage and measurement of nuclear spin squeezing can be performed by the coherent manipulation of a magnetic field. This proposal can be implemented in hot atomic ensembles, whose ease of access and high adaptability to various environments will significantly facilitate the research and application of nuclear-spin nonclassical states in precision measurement, quantum information, and fundamental physics.