Squeezing-Enhanced Inertial Sensing – SQUEIS

SQUEIS aims to establish new frontiers in atom interferometry by devising and applying, for the first time, quantum-enhancement techniques based on squeezing to state-of-the-art experiments in gravimetry, gradiometry and inertial sensing. SQUEIS explores quantum state engineering in different experimental platforms that are relevant for atomic free-fall and compact trapped sensors. Squeezing-generation techniques in this project are based on novel strategies to exploit tunable atom-atom interaction in quantum gases, as well as non-demolition measurements via the coupling of atoms and light. These entanglement-creation methods are made compatible with the stringent requirements of atom interferometers with respect to the spatial delocalization of entangled states and their protection against decoherence during finite interrogation times. Cross fertilization of the different approaches is guaranteed by the unique synergy between experimental partners pursuing common protocols for state preparation, protection and readout, and supported by theoretical investigations.
By pushing the performances of inertial sensors beyond the limitations of current devices, SQUEIS is expected to have a strong impact on all utilization of high-precision atom interferometers, including tests of fundamental physics (such as the precise determination of the fine-structure constant and of the gravitational constant, test of the equivalence principle, search for dark matter and dark energy) and applied physics (in magnetometry, geophysics, navigation, oil and mineral extraction, and civil engineering, to name a few). Finally, SQUEIS has important implications in gravitational waves detection based on atom interferometers where boosting the sensitivity can largely extend the number of detectable events.