• Open Access

Optimal estimation of time-dependent gravitational fields with quantum optomechanical systems

Sofia Qvarfort, A. Douglas K. Plato, David Edward Bruschi, Fabienne Schneiter, Daniel Braun, Alessio Serafini, and Dennis Rätzel
Phys. Rev. Research 3, 013159 – Published 18 February 2021

Abstract

We study the fundamental sensitivity that can be achieved with an ideal optomechanical system in the nonlinear regime for measurements of time-dependent gravitational fields. Using recently developed methods to solve the dynamics of a nonlinear optomechanical system with a time-dependent Hamiltonian, we compute the quantum Fisher information for linear displacements of the mechanical element due to gravity. We demonstrate that the sensitivity cannot only be further enhanced by injecting squeezed states of the cavity field, but also by modulating the light–matter coupling of the optomechanical system. We specifically apply our results to the measurement of gravitational fields from small oscillating masses, where we show that, in principle, the gravitational field of an oscillating nanogram mass can be detected based on experimental parameters that will likely be accessible in the near-term future. Finally, we identify the experimental parameter regime necessary for gravitational wave detection with a quantum optomechanical sensor.

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  • Received 1 September 2020
  • Revised 4 November 2020
  • Accepted 5 January 2021

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.3.013159

Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

Published by the American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Quantum Information, Science & TechnologyAtomic, Molecular & OpticalGravitation, Cosmology & Astrophysics

Authors & Affiliations

Sofia Qvarfort1,2,*, A. Douglas K. Plato3,4, David Edward Bruschi5, Fabienne Schneiter6, Daniel Braun6, Alessio Serafini2, and Dennis Rätzel4,†

  • 1QOLS, Blackett Laboratory, Imperial College London, SW7 2AZ London, United Kingdom
  • 2Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, Gower Street, WC1E 6BT London, United Kingdom
  • 3Institut für Physik, Universität Rostock, Albert-Einstein-Straße 23, 18059 Rostock, Germany
  • 4Institut für Physik, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstraße 15, 12489 Berlin, Germany
  • 5Theoretical Physics, Universität des Saarlandes, 66123 Saarbrücken, Germany
  • 6Institut für Theoretische Physik, Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen, 72076 Tübingen, Germany

  • *sofiaqvarfort@gmail.com
  • dennis.raetzel@physik.hu-berlin.de

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Vol. 3, Iss. 1 — February - April 2021

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