Squeezing on momentum states for atom interferometry

TL;DR

This paper introduces a method to produce squeezed atomic states using dispersive probing in a ring resonator, enhancing atom interferometry precision beyond the Standard Quantum Limit.

Contribution

It presents a novel technique for generating squeezed states via dispersive probing, applicable to various diffraction orders and capable of significantly improving phase resolution.

Findings

Achieves a 20 dB gain in phase estimation over the SQL.

Demonstrates applicability to large diffraction orders and atom numbers.

Reaches phase resolution scaling as N^{-3/4}.

Abstract

We propose and analyse a method that allows for the production of squeezed states of the atomic center-of-mass motion that can be injected into an atom interferometer. Our scheme employs dispersive probing in a ring resonator on a narrow transition of strontium atoms in order to provide a collective measurement of the relative population of two momentum states. We show that this method is applicable to a Bragg diffraction-based atom interferometer with large diffraction orders. The applicability of this technique can be extended also to small diffraction orders and large atom numbers by inducing atomic transparency at the frequency of the probe field, reaching an interferometer phase resolution scaling $\Delta\phi\sim N^{-3/4}$, where $N$ is the atom number. We show that for realistic parameters it is possible to obtain a 20 dB gain in interferometer phase estimation compared to the Standard Quantum Limit.