Force detectors rely on resonators to transduce forces into a readable signal. Usually, these
resonators operate in the linear regime and their signal appears amidst a competing
background comprising thermal or quantum fluctuations as well as readout noise. Here, we
demonstrate a parametric symmetry breaking transduction method that leads to a robust
nonlinear force detection in the presence of noise. The force signal is encoded in the
frequency at which the system jumps between two phase states which are inherently …