Microwave-field quantum metrology with inherent robustness against detection losses enabled by Rydberg interactions

Abstract Quantum sensing and metrology present one of the most promising near-term applications in the field of quantum technologies, with quantum sensors enabling unprecedented precision in measurements of electric, magnetic, or gravitational fields and displacements. Experimental loss at the detection stage remains one of the key obstacles to achieving a truly quantum advantage in many practical scenarios. Here, we combine the capabilities of Rydberg atoms to both sense external fields and be used for quantum information processing, thereby largely overcoming the issue of detection losses. While utilising the large dipole moments of Rydberg atoms in an ensemble to achieve single-shot precision of (217 ± 8) μ V cm −1 for a very short 160-ns-long microwave pulse, we employ inter-atomic dipolar interactions to take advantage of an error-prevention protocol that protects information against conventional losses at the detection stage. Counterintuitively, the protocol’s idea is based on introducing an additional non-linear, lossy quantum channel, which results in a threefold enhancement of Fisher information. The presented results pave the way for broader adoption of quantum-information-inspired enhancements enabled by intrinsic interactions present in a sensor system, and more broadly in practical quantum metrology and communication, without the need for a general-purpose quantum computer.