Interaction-based quantum metrology giving a scaling beyond the Heisenberg limit

Quantum metrology studies the use of entanglement and other quantum resources to improve precision measurement. An interferometer using N independent particles to measure a parameter χ can achieve at best the "standard quantum limit" (SQL) of sensitivity δχ ∝ N^-1/2. The same interferometer using N entangled particles can achieve in principle the "Heisenberg limit" δχ ∝ N^-1, using exotic states, e.g., NooN states. Recent theoretical work argues that interactions among particles may be a valuable resource for quantum metrology, allowing scaling beyond the Heisenberg limit. Specifically, a k-particle interaction will produce sensitivity δχ ∝ N^-k with appropriate entangled states and δχ ∝ N^-(k-1/2) even without entanglement. Here we demonstrate this "super-Heisenberg" scaling in a nonlinear, non-destructive measurement of the magnetisation of an atomic ensemble.