Proof-of-concept design shrinks quantum rotation sensor to micron scale

Phys.org  October 1, 2024 A team of researchers in the US (University of Michigan, DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory) investigated the possible realization of an ultracold-atom rotation sensor that was based on recently proposed tractor atom interferometry (TAI). They described an experimental design that included the generation of a Laguerre–Gaussian-beam-based “pinwheel” optical lattice and multi-loop interferometric cycles. Numerical simulations of the proposed system demonstrated TAI rotation sensitivity comparable to that of contemporary matter-wave interferometers. They applied quantum optimal control to devise a methodology suitable to address nonadiabaticity which might hinder systems performance. According to the researchers their studies are of interest […]

An MRI-like tool for quantum materials: Sensor can detect minute magnetic fields at atomic scale

Phys.org  July 25, 2024 The detection of faint magnetic fields from single-electron and nuclear spins at the atomic scale is a long-standing challenge in physics. While current mobile quantum sensors achieve single-electron spin sensitivity, atomic spatial resolution remains elusive for existing techniques. An international team of researchers (Germany, South Korea) fabricated a single-molecule quantum sensor at the apex of the metallic tip of a scanning tunnelling microscope by attaching Fe atoms and a PTCDA (3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-dianhydride) molecule to the tip apex. They addressed the molecular spin by electron spin resonance and achieved ~100 neV resolution in energy. In a proof-of-principle experiment, they […]

Nano particle trapped between mirrors works as a quantum sensor

Science Daily  April 7, 2022 In an optical resonator light is reflected between mirrors, and it interacts with the levitated nanoparticle. Such interaction can give rise to dynamical instabilities which are often considered undesirable. An international team of researchers (Austria, Switzerland) has shown how they can be used as a resource. They have shown that by properly controlling these instabilities, the resulting unstable dynamics of a mechanical oscillator inside an optical cavity leads to mechanical squeezing. They applied this approach to a silica nanoparticle coupled to a microcavity via coherent scattering. The new protocol is robust in the presence of […]