Enhanced quantum sensing in time-modulated non-Hermitian systems

Abstract: Enhancing the sensitivity of quantum sensing near an exceptional point represents a significant phenomenon in non-Hermitian (NH) systems. However, the application of this property in time-modulated NH systems remains largely unexplored. In this work, we propose two theoretical schemes to achieve enhanced quantum sensing in time-modulated NH systems by leveraging the coalescence of eigenvalues and eigenstates. We conduct a comprehensive analysis of the full energy spectrum, including both real and imaginary components, the population distribution of eigenstates, and various characteristics associated with optimal conditions for sensitivity enhancement. Numerical simulations confirm that eigenvalue-based quantum sensors exhibit a 9.21-fold improvement compared to conventional Hermitian sensors, aligning with the performance of existing time-independent NH sensors. Conversely, for eigenstate-based quantum sensors, the enhancement reaches up to 50 times that of conventional Hermitian sensors, surpassing the results of existing time-independent NH sensors. Moreover, the eigenstate-based sensor exhibits divergent susceptibility even when not close to an exceptional point. Our findings pave the way for advanced sensing in time-sensitive contexts, thereby complementing existing efforts aimed at harnessing the unique properties of open systems.