  We theoretically investigate how entangled atomic states generated via
spin-changing collisions in a spinor Bose-Einstein condensate can be designed
and controllably prepared for atom interferometry that is robust against common
technical issues, such as limited detector resolution. We use analytic and
numerical treatments of the spin-changing collision process to demonstrate that
triggering the entangling collisions with a small classical seed rather than
vacuum fluctuations leads to a more robust and superior sensitivity when
technical noise is accounted for, despite the generated atomic state ideally
featuring less metrologically useful entanglement. Our results are relevant for
understanding how entangled atomic states are best designed and generated for
use in quantum-enhanced matter-wave interferometry.
