Quantum-enhanced sensing via spectral noise reduction

Abstract: We report a direct demonstration of quantum-enhanced sensing in the Fourier domain by comparing single- and two-photon interference in a fiber-based interferometer under strictly identical noise conditions. The simultaneous acquisition of both signals provides a common-mode reference that enables a fair and unambiguous benchmark of quantum advantage. Spectral analysis of the interferometric outputs reveals that quantum correlations do not increase the amplitude of the modulation peak, but instead lower the associated noise floor, resulting in the expected 3 dB improvement in signal-to-noise ratio. This enhancement persists in the sub-shot-noise regime, where the classical signal becomes buried in the spectral background while the two-photon contribution remains resolvable. These observations establish Fourier-domain quantum super-sensitivity as an operational and broadly applicable resource for precision interferometric sensing.