Scale-invariant spin dynamics and the quantum limits of field sensing. (26th May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mitchell, Morgan W
• Is Part Of: New journal of physics. Volume 22:Number 5(2020:May)
• Publication Date: 2020-05-26
• Subjects: quantum sensing -- quantum limits of measurement -- magnetometry -- spin precession; Physics -- Periodicals; Physics; Periodicals; 530.05
• DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/ab81b8
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1367-2630

Abstract

Abstract: We describe quantum limits to field sensing that relate noise, geometry and measurement duration to fundamental constants, with no reference to particle number. We cast the Tesche and Clarke (TC) bound on dc-SQUID sensitivity as such a limit, and find analogous limits for volumetric spin-precession magnetometers. We describe how randomly-arrayed spins, coupled to an external magnetic field of interest and to each other by the magnetic dipole–dipole interaction, execute a spin dynamics that depolarizes the spin ensemble even in the absence of coupling to an external reservoir. We show the resulting spin dynamics are scale invariant, with a depolarization rate proportional to spin number density and thus a number-independent quantum limit on the energy resolution per bandwidth E R . Numerically, we find E R ⩾ αℏ, α ∼ 1, in agreement with the TC limit, for paradigmatic spin-based measurements of static and oscillating magnetic fields.