We cool down neutral atoms to micro-kelvin temperatures using the combination of lasers and magnetic fields. Holding the atoms in traps created by laser light and coupling them to high-quality optical cavities, we can create, manipulate, and readout complex quantum states with a high amount of entanglement depth. Currently, we are working on using such states to operate quantum sensors close to the Heisenberg Limit (HL) in a many-particle system.
We developed the first entanglement-enhanced optical atomic clock (Link) and expect the same protocol to be implemented in current state-of-the-art atomic clocks, the most precise devices ever invented by humankind. This opens a new era of exploration of our universe using quantum-enhanced sensors. It is also projected that these devices may help in search of new physics, detection of certain types of dark matter, detection of gravitational waves, tests of fundamental physics, and other technological applications, for example in navigation (Global Positioning System, GPS), geodesy, and quantum-networks of clocks.
Work in progress
- Quantum-Enhanced Optical Atomic Clock with long coherence time.
- Squeezing while rotating for investigation of quantum dynamical phase transitions.