We report electron spin resonance spectroscopy measurements performed at millikelvin temperatures in a custom-built spectrometer comprising a superconducting micro-resonator at 7 GHz and a Josephson parametric amplifier. Owing to the small (∼10-12λ3) magnetic resonator mode volume and to the low noise of the parametric amplifier, the spectrometer's single shot sensitivity reaches 260 ± 40 spins/echo translating into 65±10 spins/√Hz for repeated acquisition.

Vacuum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field set a fundamental limit to the sensitivity of a variety of measurements, including magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We report the use of squeezed microwave fields, which are engineered quantum states of light for which fluctuations in one field quadrature are reduced below the vacuum level, to enhance the detection sensitivity of an ensemble of electronic spins at millikelvin temperatures. By shining a squeezed vacuum state on the input port of a microwave resonator containing the spins, we obtain a 1.2-dB noise reduction at the spectrometer output compared to the case of a vacuum input. This result constitutes a proof of principle of the application of quantum metrology to magnetic resonance spectroscopy.