Overview

• Peer-reviewed results published Sept. 24 in Science Advances report the first laboratory demonstration of a 2017 modular-measurement proposal.
• The method measures modular position and modular momentum at once by discarding absolute context and concentrating uncertainty in features that are not read out.
• Using a single trapped ion prepared in grid (GKP-like) states with lasers, the experiment achieved precision beyond the standard quantum limit attainable with classical sensors.
• The setup resolved forces of roughly 10 yoctonewtons (10^-23 N), not a record but notable for being achieved with a compact single-atom apparatus.
• Techniques adapted from error-corrected quantum computing suggest a path toward sensors for GPS-denied navigation and improved medical and biological imaging.