Hong–Ou–Mandel interference of more than ten indistinguishable atoms
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: When two indistinguishable bosons interfere at a beam splitter, they exit through the same output port. This quantum effect, known as Hong-Ou-Mandel interference, underpins many protocols in quantum information. It also generalizes to larger numbers of identical particles, for which interference produces characteristic many-body patterns. So far, experiments have observed the many-particle regime mainly in photonic platforms with unavoidable loss, and atomic realizations have remained challenging. Here we demonstrate Hong-Ou-Mandel interference with up to 12 indistinguishable neutral atoms in a system with negligible loss. Single-particle counting reveals parity oscillations, a bunching envelope and genuine multipartite entanglement, which are defining features of the multiparticle Hong-Ou-Mandel effect. Using the generated quantum states, we demonstrate metrological sensitivities that scale with the number of particles according to the Heisenberg limit. Our technique can be extended to larger ensembles, with wide-ranging applications from high-precision atom interferometry to multiparticle Bell tests.
Source: Nature Physics
Authors: Martin Quensen, Mareike Hetzel, Luis Santos, Augusto Smerzi, Géza Tóth, Luca Pezzè, Carsten Klempt
Institutions: Leibniz University Hannover, Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt e. V. (DLR), European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy, National Institute of Optics, Ikerbasque, University of the Basque Country, HUN-REN Wigner Research Centre for Physics, Donostia International Physics Center
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $12,690
Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, Agence Nationale de la Recherche, Eusko Jaurlaritza, Nemzeti Kutatási Fejlesztési és Innovációs Hivatal, QuantERA, HORIZON EUROPE Framework Programme, European Regional Development Fund, Agencia Estatal de Investigación, National Research, Development and Innovation Office
Awards: G12026128, G1236318949, G134384773, G2009008446, Programmable Atomic Large-scale Quantum Simulation 2 - SGA1, G3022749744, G3777708657, G3861891927, Squeezing-Enhanced Inertial Sensing, G40493870, G41237254, G4285572622, G4511769669, G4519987371, G4568777066, EXC 2123: QuantumFrontiers Licht und Materie an der Quantengrenze, G4833133300, G5914662731, G6293336981, SFB 1227: Designte Quantenzustände der Materie (DQmat) Herstellung, Manipulation und Detektion für metrologische Anwendungen und Tests fundamentaler Physik, G67347242, G745383156, G7694217703, G785787759, G8953647516, G8959349008
OpenAlex ID: W4410314298