Quantum limits to mass sensing in a gravitational field

Abstract

We address the problem of estimating the mass of a quantum particle in a gravitational field and seek the ultimate bounds to precision of quantum-limited detection schemes. In particular, we study the effect of the field on the achievable sensitivity and address the question of whether quantumness of the probe state may provide a precision enhancement. The ultimate bounds to precision are quantified in terms of the corresponding Quantum Fisher Information. Our results show that states with no classical limit perform better than semiclassical ones and that a non-trivial interplay exists between the external field and the statistical model. More intense fields generally lead to a better precision, with the exception of position measurements in the case of freely-falling systems.

References in corpus (2)

• Quantum metrology for a general Hamiltonian parameter
• Quantum metrology beyond the Quantum Cramér-Rao theorem

Cited by in corpus (8)

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• Entanglement Witness for the Weak Equivalence Principle
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• Nonclassical states of levitated macroscopic objects beyond the ground state
• Gravitational time dilation as a resource in quantum sensing
• Structured Quantum Projectiles
• Parameter estimation by decoherence in the double-slit experiment
• Quantum Weak Equivalence Principle and the Gravitational Casimir Effect in Superconductors