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Quantum sensing and metrology for fundamental physics with molecules

Nature Physics volume 20, pages 741–749 (2024)Cite this article

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Abstract

Quantum sensing and metrology use coherent superposition states of quantum systems to detect and measure physical effects of interest. Their sensitivity is typically limited by the standard quantum limit, which bounds the achievable precision in measurements involving nominally identical but uncorrelated quantum systems. Fully quantum metrology involves entanglement in an array of quantum systems, enabling uncertainty reduction below the standard quantum limit. Although ultracold atoms have been widely used for applications such as atomic clocks or gravitational sensors, molecules show higher sensitivity to many interesting phenomena, including the existence of new, symmetry-violating forces mediated by massive particles. Recent advancements in molecular cooling, trapping and control techniques have enabled the use of molecules for quantum sensing and metrology. This Review describes these advancements and explores the potential of the rich internal structure and enhanced coupling strengths of molecules to probe fundamental physics and drive progress in the field.

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Fig. 1: A typical quantum sensing protocol with molecules.
Fig. 2: CP violation effects.
Fig. 3: Molecular clock set-up.
Fig. 4: Quantum-enhanced sensing.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge funding support from AFOSR MURI Grant FA9550-21-1-0069 (DD, AMR, and TZ), the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation Grant 12330 (DD), and the Brown Foundation Grant CU22-1584 (TZ) We thank S. Park and C. Miller for careful reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physics, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA

    David DeMille

  2. Physics Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, IL, USA

    David DeMille

  3. Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA

    Nicholas R. Hutzler

  4. JILA, National Institute of Standards and Technology and Department of Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Ana Maria Rey

  5. Center for Theory of Quantum Matter, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA

    Ana Maria Rey

  6. Department of Physics, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Tanya Zelevinsky

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DeMille, D., Hutzler, N.R., Rey, A.M. et al. Quantum sensing and metrology for fundamental physics with molecules. Nat. Phys. 20, 741–749 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-024-02499-9

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