(PhysOrg.com) -- In the classical world, scientists can make
measurements with a degree of accuracy that is restricted only
by technical limitations. At the fundamental level, however,
measurement precision is limited by Heisenberg’s uncertainty
principle. But even reaching a precision close to the Heisenberg
limit is far beyond existing technology due to source and
detector limitations. Now, using techniques from machine
learning, physicists Alexander Hentschel and Barry Sanders from
the University of Calgary have recently shown how to generate
measurement procedures that can outperform the best previous
strategy in achieving highly precise quantum measurements. The
new level of precision approaches the Heisenberg limit, which is
an important goal of quantum measurement. Such quantum-enhanced
measurements are useful in several areas, such as atomic clocks,
gravitational wave detection, and measuring the optical
properties of materials. “The precision that any measurement can
possibly achieve is limited by th