Optimal Quantum Acceleration of Frequency Estimation Using Adaptive Coherent Control

Precision measurements of frequency are critical to accurate timekeeping, and are fundamentally limited by quantum measurement uncertainties. While for time-independent quantum Hamiltonians, the uncertainty of any parameter scales at best as 1/T, where T is the duration of the experiment, recent theoretical works have predicted that explicitly time-dependent Hamiltonians can yield a 1/T² scaling of the uncertainty for an oscillation frequency. This quantum acceleration in precision requires coherent control, which is generally adaptive. We experimentally realize this quantum improvement in frequency sensitivity with superconducting circuits, using a single transmon qubit. With optimal control pulses, the theoretically ideal frequency precision scaling is reached for times shorter than the decoherence time. This result demonstrates a fundamental quantum advantage for frequency estimation.