Quantum Enhanced Estimation Of Diffusion

Momentum diffusion is a possible mechanism for driving macroscopic quantum systems towards classical behavior. Experimental tests of this hypothesis rely on a precise estimation of the strength of this diffusion. We show that quantum-mechanical squeezing offers significant improvements, including when measuring position. For instance, with 10 dB of mechanical squeezing, experiments would require a tenth of proposed free-fall times. Momentum measurement is better by an additional factor of three, while another quadrature is close to optimal. These have particular implications for the space-based MAQRO proposal-where it could rule out the spontaneous collapse theory due to Ghirardi, Rimini, and Weber-as well as terrestrial optomechanical sensing.