Programmable quantum sensing using ultracold atoms in 3D optical lattices

We present theoretical and experimental progress on developing and demonstrating a novel atom interferometer. Our work is based on formulating a universal set of atom optic components for inertial sensing. These components constitute matterwave gates with which we build sensing circuits by cascading protocols in sequence. Unlike quantum computation, here our gates represent input-output matterwave transformations between lattice eigenstates. Each gate is associated with a modulation function of the position of an optical lattice according to machine-designed patterns. In this methodology, a sensor is not fixed in hardware but can be programmed and reprogrammed to respond to an evolving set of design priorities. The gates we provide are metrologically universal, in analogy to universal gate sets for quantum computing, and can therefore sense any signal. Experimental confirmation of the designed operation is demonstrated via in situ imaging of the spatial evolution of a Bose-Einstein condensate in an optical lattice, and by measurement of the momentum probabilities following time-of-flight expansion. The application to several basic quantum sensing circuits is presented for the measurement of inertial forces, rotating reference frames, and gravity gradients.