Minute-scale Schrödinger-cat state of spin-5/2 atoms

Quantum metrology with non-classical states offers a promising route to improved precision in physical measurements. The quantum effects of Schrödinger-cat superpositions or entanglements enable measurement uncertainties to reach below the standard quantum limit. However, the challenge of maintaining a long coherence time for such non-classical states often prevents full exploitation of the quantum advantage in metrology. Here we demonstrate a long-lived Schrödinger-cat state of optically trapped 173Yb (I = 5/2) atoms. The cat state, a superposition of two oppositely directed and furthest-apart spin states, is generated by a nonlinear spin rotation. Protected in a decoherence-free subspace against inhomogeneous light shifts of an optical lattice, the cat state persists for a coherence time of 1.4(1) × 103 s. A magnetic field is measured using Ramsey interferometry, demonstrating a scheme of Heisenberg-limited metrology for atomic magnetometry, quantum information processing and searching for new physics beyond the Standard Model. Using spin-5/2 nuclei of 173Yb atoms trapped in an optical lattice, a Schrödinger-cat state persists for a coherence time of 1.4 × 103 s. In measuring external magnetic fields, the cat state exhibits a sensitivity approaching the Heisenberg limit.