Generation of a metrologically useful cat state through repetitive measurements

Recent advancements in entanglement-based quantum metrology have been significant. A fundamental connection between generalized cat states and sensitivity in quantum metrology has recently been established. Generalized cat states are characterized by an index indicating coherence among macroscopically distinct states. This criterion enables the identification of diverse states as generalized cat states, encompassing classical mixtures of exponentially large numbers of states. However, preparing large generalized cat states remains challenging with current technology. Here we propose a protocol to generate metrologically useful cat states through repetitive measurements on a quantum spin system of N spins, which we call a spin ensemble. The states used as sensors to beat the classical limit are called the metrologically useful cat states, which are well characterized by the index to indicate the coherence between macroscopically distinct states. When the spin ensemble is collectively coupled with an ancillary qubit, it allows for the read out of its total magnetization. Starting from a thermal equilibrium state of the spin ensemble, we demonstrate that we can increase the coherence between the spin ensemble via repetitive measurements of the total magnetization using the ancillary qubit. Notably, our method for creating the metrologically useful cat states requires no control over the spin ensemble. As a potential experimental realization, we discuss a hybrid system composed of a superconducting flux qubit and donor spins in silicon. Our results pave the way for the realization of the entanglement-enhanced quantum metrology.