Sequential quantum-enhanced measurement with an atomic ensemble

We propose a quantum-enhanced iterative (with \(K\) steps) measurement scheme based on an ensemble of \(N\) two-level probes which asymptotically approaches the Heisenberg limit \(\delta_K \propto R^{-K/(K+1)}\), \(R\) the number of quantum resources. The protocol is inspired by Kitaev's phase estimation algorithm and involves only collective manipulation and measurement of the ensemble. The iterative procedure takes the shot-noise limited primary measurement with precision \(\delta_1\propto N^{-1/2}\) to increasingly precise results \(\delta_K\propto N^{-K/2}\). A straightforward implementation of the algorithm makes use of a two-component atomic cloud of Bosons in the precision measurement of a magnetic field.