Entanglement and squeezing with identical particles: ultracold atom quantum metrology

In quantum metrological applications based on ultracold atom systems, entangled initial states are thought necessary to achieve sub-shot-noise accuracies. This conclusion, although strictly true for systems of distinguishable particles, does no longer hold for systems of identical particles. Indeed, while quantum non-locality is necessary, it can be encoded into the interferometric apparatus and not into the initial states. In particular, no preliminary spin-squeezing is necessary to reach quantum performances in metrological applications of ultracold atom physics.