Super-resolving frequency measurement with mode-selective quantum memory
Abstract
High-precision optical frequency measurement underpins modern science and technology, yet conventional spectroscopic techniques struggle to resolve sublinewidth spectral features. Here we introduce a platform for super-resolved frequency estimation based on a mode-selective atomic Raman quantum memory implemented in warm caesium vapour. By precisely engineering the light-matter interaction, the memory coherently stores the optimal temporal mode with high fidelity and retrieves it on demand, achieving mode crosstalk as low as 0.34%. To estimate the separation between two spectral lines, we experimentally measure the mean squared error of the frequency estimate, reaching a sensitivity of 1/20 of the linewidth and a (34 ± 4)-fold enhancement in precision over direct intensity measurements. This enhanced frequency resolution, combined with on-demand storage, retrieval and mode-conversion capabilities, establishes a pathway towards multifunctional memory-based time-frequency sensors and their integration within quantum networks.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Quantum optics and atomic interactions
Advanced Frequency and Time Standards
Advanced Fiber Laser Technologies
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Nature Sensors
- Publisher
- Springer Science and Business Media LLC
- Volume
- 1
- Issue
- 7
- Pages
- 627–635
- Publication date
- 15 May 2026
- Language
- EN