Biological measurement beyond the quantum limit

Abstract

Dynamic biological measurements require low light levels to avoid damaging the specimen. With this constraint on optical power, quantum noise fundamentally limits the measurement sensitivity. This limit can only be surpassed by extracting more information per photon by using quantum correlations. Here, we experimentally demonstrate that the quantum shot noise limit can be overcome for measurements of living systems. Quantum-correlated light with amplitude noise squeezed 75% below the vacuum level is used to perform microrheology experiments within Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast cells. Naturally occurring lipid granules are tracked in real time as they diffuse through the cytoplasm, and the quantum noise limit is surpassed by 42%. The laser-based microparticle tracking technique used is compatible with non-classical light and is immune to low-frequency noise, leading the way to achieving a broad range of quantum-enhanced measurements in biology. Copyright © 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited.