Overview
- Researchers validated a 2017 proposal by measuring modular position and momentum simultaneously with redistributed quantum uncertainty focused away from coarse information.
- The experiment used a single trapped ion prepared in grid states to enhance small-signal detection, showing precision that surpasses classical standard quantum limits.
- The team reported displacement sensitivity on the order of half a nanometer and the ability to detect forces at yoctonewton scales.
- The study, led by the University of Sydney and published in Science Advances (DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adw9757), involved collaborators at RMIT, the University of Melbourne, Macquarie University and the University of Bristol.
- Authors declared no competing interests and cited support from the Australian Research Council, multiple US defense research agencies and industry, noting the work remains a laboratory proof of concept with prospective sensing applications.