Quantum interferometric sensors

Leo D. DiDomenico; Hwang Lee; Pieter Kok; Jonathan P. Dowling

doi:10.1117/12.516220

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6 July 2004 Quantum interferometric sensors

Leo D. DiDomenico, Hwang Lee, Pieter Kok, Jonathan P. Dowling

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Proceedings Volume 5359, Quantum Sensing and Nanophotonic Devices; (2004) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.516220
Event: Integrated Optoelectronic Devices 2004, 2004, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Quantum entanglement has the potential to revolutionize the entire field of interferometric sensing by providing many orders of magnitude improvement in interferometer sensitivity. The quantum entangled particle interferometer approach is very general and applies to many types of interferometers. In particular, without nonlocal entanglement, a generic classical interferometer has a statistical-sampling shot-noise limited sensitivity that scales like 1/√N, where N is the number of particles passing through the interferometer per unit time. However, if carefully prepared quantum correlations are engineered between the particles, then the interferometer sensitivity improves by a factor of √N to scale like 1/N, which is the limit imposed by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. For optical interferometers operating at milliwatts of optical power, this quantum sensitivity boost corresponds to an eight-order-of-magnitude improvement of signal to noise. This effect can translate into a tremendous science pay-off for NASA-JPL missions. For example, one application of this new effect is to fiber optical gyroscopes for deep-space inertial guidance and tests of General Relativity (Gravity Probe B). Another application is to ground and orbiting optical interferometers for gravity wave detection, Laser Interferometer Gravity Observatory (LIGO) and the European Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA), respectively. Other applications are to Satellite-to-Satellite laser Interferometry (SSI) proposed for the next generation Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment (GRACE II).

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Leo D. DiDomenico, Hwang Lee, Pieter Kok, and Jonathan P. Dowling "Quantum interferometric sensors", Proc. SPIE 5359, Quantum Sensing and Nanophotonic Devices, (6 July 2004); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.516220

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