Strong spin squeezing induced by weak squeezing of light inside a cavity

Abstract

Abstract We propose a simple method for generating spin squeezing of atomic ensembles in a Floquet cavity subject to a weak, detuned two-photon driving. We demonstrate that the weak squeezing of light inside the cavity can, counterintuitively, induce strong spin squeezing. This is achieved by exploiting the anti-Stokes scattering process of a photon pair interacting with an atom. Specifically, one photon of the photon pair is scattered into the cavity resonance by absorbing partially the energy of the other photon whose remaining energy excites the atom. The scattering, combined with a Floquet sideband, provides an alternative mechanism to implement Heisenberg-limited spin squeezing. Our proposal does not need multiple classical and cavity-photon drivings applied to atoms in ensembles, and therefore its experimental feasibility is greatly improved compared to other cavity-based schemes. As an example, we demonstrate a possible implementation with a superconducting resonator coupled to a nitrogen-vacancy electronic-spin ensemble.