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Vibrational parametric arrays with trapped ions: Non-Hermitian topological phases and quantum sensing

Miguel Clavero-Rubio*, Tomás Ramos, and Diego Porras†

  • *Contact author: miguel.clavero@iff.csic.es
  • †Contact author: diego.porras@csic.es
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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043218 – Published 24 November, 2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/jrv5-hmt8

Abstract

We consider a linear array of trapped ions subjected to local parametric modulation of the trapping potential and continuous laser cooling. In our model, the phase of the parametric modulation varies linearly along the array, breaking time-reversal symmetry and inducing nontrivial topological effects. The linear response to an external force is investigated with the Green's function formalism. We predict the appearance of topological amplification regimes in which the trapped ion array behaves as a directional amplifier of vibrational excitations. The emergence of topological phases is determined by a winding number related to non-Hermitian point-gap topology. Beyond its fundamental interests as a topological driven-dissipative system, our setup can be used for quantum sensing of ultraweak forces and electric fields. We consider a scheme in which a trapped ion at one edge of the array acts as a sensor of an ultraweak force, and the vibrational signal gets amplified toward the last trapped ion, which acts as a detector. We consider arrays of 2–30 Mg+25 ions, assuming that the detector ion's displacement is measured via fluorescence with a spatial resolution of 200–500 nm, and predict sensitivities as small as 1yNHz−1/2. Our system has the advantage that the detected force frequency can be tuned by adjusting the frequency of the periodic drive.

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Phys. Rev. Research 7, 043218– Published 24 November, 2025
  • Received 18 February 2025
  • Accepted 6 November 2025
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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