Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed an algorithmic framework that improves the design of highly sensitive quantum sensors by coupling a qubit with a bosonic oscillator.
Qubits, the quantum equivalent of classical bits, can exist in a superposition of two states, while bosonic oscillators are infinite-dimensional systems analogous to classical oscillators. By manipulating the interaction between qubit and oscillator, the sensor can be fine-tuned to detect specific signals.
“Quantum sensors promise more powerful sensing capabilities that can approach the fundamental limit of quantum mechanics. The challenge, however, is to control these sensors to find the desired signals,” explained Yuan Liu, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and computer science at NC State and corresponding author of the study. Liu previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at MIT.
The results are encoded into the qubit state and then measured using interferometry. This framework provides a versatile approach for developing various quantum sensing protocols. The work, co-authored by MIT graduate students Jasmine Sinanan-Singh and Gabriel Mintzer and Professor Isaac L. Chuang, was published in the journal Quantum.
