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Quantum-enhanced plasmonic sensing...

by M. Dowran, Ashok Kumar, Benjamin J Lawrie, Raphael C Pooser, Alberto Marino
Publication Type
Journal
Journal Name
Optica
Publication Date
Page Numbers
628 to 633
Volume
5
Issue
5

Quantum resources can enhance the sensitivity of a device beyond the classical shot noise limit and, as a result, revolutionize the field of metrology through the development of quantum-enhanced sensors. In particular, plasmonic sensors, which are widely used in biological and chemical sensing applications, offer a unique opportunity to bring such an enhancement to real-life devices. Here, we use bright entangled twin beams to enhance the sensitivity of a plasmonic sensor used to measure local changes in the refractive index. We demonstrate a 56% quantum enhancement in the sensitivity of a state-of-the-art plasmonic sensor when compared with the corresponding classical configuration and a 24% quantum enhancement when compared to an optimal single-beam classical configuration. We measure sensitivities on the order of 10−10  RIU/Hz−−−√, nearly 5 orders of magnitude better than previous proof-of-principle implementations of quantum-enhanced plasmonic sensors. These results promise significant enhancements in ultratrace label-free plasmonic sensing and will find their way into areas ranging from biomedical applications to chemical detection.