Quantum Seismology

TL;DR

This paper introduces a quantum-based method for detecting weak vibrations using entanglement farming in optical cavities, achieving high sensitivity to low-frequency disturbances for potential precision measurement applications.

Contribution

It presents a novel quantum seismology technique leveraging fixed-point state sensitivity to vibrational disturbances, expanding quantum sensing capabilities.

Findings

Fixed-point state depends on atom interval and mirror distance.

Resonance effects lead to high sensitivity to vibrations.

Potential for high-precision vibrational metrology.

Abstract

We propose a quantum mechanical method of detecting weak vibrational disturbances inspired by the protocol of entanglement farming. We consider a setup where pairs of atoms in their ground state are successively sent through an optical cavity. It is known that in this way it is possible to drive that cavity toward a stable fixed-point state. Here we study how that fixed-point state depends on the time interval between pairs of atoms and on the distance between the cavity's mirrors. Taking advantage of an extremely precise resonance effect, we find that there are special values of these parameters where the fixed-point state is highly sensitive to perturbations, even harmonic vibrations with frequencies several orders of magnitude below the cavity's natural frequency. We propose that this sensitivity may be useful for high precision metrology.