Atomic-Photonic Hybrid Devices for Next-Generation Quantum Sensors

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This project will develop evolutionary algorithms to find state-of-the-art quantum states for a range of applications in realistic experimental settings.We will start with states that are known to perform a particular task well and then see how their performance is altered under 'mutations'.The beauty of this methodology is that it is very broadly applicable. The scheme can be tailored so that it only includes operations that are currently available in the laboratory, accounts for imperfections and losses specific to a particular system, and includes the important role of implementable measurements. It can also be updated easily as new experimental capability becomes available and even be used to guide what new capability would make the most difference in the future.We have carried out an initial toy-model of this process (see Fig. 1), which has shown that we can find new quantum states that achieve considerable gains in the precision of measurement schemes over the states that are commonly used. This is very exciting and other groups are now starting to look at evolutionaryalgorithms in a different context [1]. The project will start by setting up the general algorithm. Once this is operational, we will begin by applying it to the study of nitrogen vacancy (NV) centres in diamond in the context of magnetic field sensing and secure communications [2]. We will work closely with experimentalcollaborators and the constraints on the algorithm will be informed by what can be achieved in the laboratory. We will then seek broader applications in a range of systems such as cold atoms or quantum dots.