Harnessing center-of-mass excitations in quantum metrology

Abstract

In quantum metrology, one typically creates correlations among atoms or photons to enhance measurement precision. Here, we show how one can use other excitations to perform quantum-enhanced measurements on the example of center-of-mass excitations of a spin-orbit coupled Bose-Einstein condensate and a Coulomb crystal. We also present a method to simulate a homodyne detection of cent er-of-mass excitations in these systems, which is required for optimal estimation.