Quantum Vector Signal Analyzer: Wideband Electric Field Sensing via Motional Raman Transitions

Abstract: Ultrasensitive detection of the frequency, phase, and amplitude of radio frequency (RF) electric fields is central to a variety of important applications, including radio communication, cosmology, dark matter searches, and high-fidelity qubit control. Quantum harmonic oscillator (QHO) systems, especially trapped ions, have been used with several quantum sensing techniques to achieve electric field sensing with state-of-the-art sensitivity and nanometer spatial resolution. However, these systems are limited to a narrow frequency range centered around either the motional frequency of the trapped ion oscillator or the frequency of an optical transition in the ion; often these techniques are not sensitive to the RF phase. Here, we propose and demonstrate a procedure that unlocks the extreme sensitivity of a QHO to allow high precision wideband detection of the frequency, phase, and amplitude of an unknown electric field. Specifically, we use motional Raman transitions in a single trapped ion, cooled near its motional ground state to realize state of the art sensitivities to frequency, phase, and amplitude, and show the technique works over a frequency range that is >800x larger than previous techniques. Further, this technique is shown to be compatible with both quantum amplification via squeezing and measurement in the Fock basis, allowing performance 3.4(20) dB below the standard quantum limit and the potential for several orders of magnitude improvement in sensitivity with moderate upgrades. In addition to providing an attractive platform for quantum sensing of small fields, this technique allows in situ calibration of qubit control lines in QHO systems, as well as transduction of external, non-resonant drives into oscillator excitation. Additionally, this approach can be extended to other QHO systems, such as a superconducting qubit-resonator system.