Entanglement-assisted non-local optical interferometry in a quantum network.
basic_science · Level V
Where this comes from
- Record sourced from PubMed, PMID 41741652.
- Also identified by DOI 10.1038/s41586-026-10171-w and PMC identifier 12979196.
- Licence recorded as CC BY-NC-ND.
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Abstract
The sensitivity of non-local optical measurements at low light intensities, such as those involved in long-baseline telescope arrays<sup>1,2</sup>, is limited by fundamental quantum noise and photon losses<sup>3</sup>. Distributed quantum entanglement has been proposed as a route towards overcoming these limitations and accessing new regimes of non-local optical sensing<sup>4-6</sup>. Here we demonstrate the use of entangled quantum memories in a quantum network of silicon-vacancy centres in diamond nanocavities<sup>7-9</sup> to experimentally perform such non-local phase measurements. Specifically, we combine the generation of event-ready remote quantum entanglement, photon mode erasure that hides the 'which-path' information of temporally and spatially separated incoming optical modes and non-local, non-destructive photon heralding enabled by remote entanglement to perform a proof-of-concept entanglement-assisted differential phase measurement of weak incident light between two spatially separate stations. Demonstrating successful operation of the remote phase sensing protocol with a fibre link baseline up to 1.55 km, our results provide an opportunity for a new class of quantum-enhanced optical imaging methods with potential applications ranging from long-baseline interferometry and astronomy to microscopy<sup>10,11</sup>.