Related papers: Nanomechanical motion measured with precision beyo…
During the theoretical investigation of the ultimate sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors through the 1970's and '80's, it was debated whether quantum fluctuations of the light field used for detection, also known as photon shot…
Coupling the vibrations of an oscillator to electronic transport is a key building block for nanoelectromechanical systems. They describe many nanoscale electrical components such as molecular junctions. Inspired by recent experimental…
Mechanical oscillators have been demonstrated with very high quality factors over a wide range of frequencies. These also couple to a wide variety of fields and forces, making them ideal as sensors. The realization of a mechanically-based…
The coherent states that describe the classical motion of a mechanical oscillator do not have well-defined energy, but are rather quantum superpositions of equally-spaced energy eigenstates. Revealing this quantized structure is only…
Cooling down nanomechanical force probes is a generic strategy to enhance their sensitivities through the concomitant reduction of their thermal noise and mechanical damping rates. However, heat conduction mechanisms become less efficient…
Long-lived mechanical oscillators are actively pursued as critical resources for quantum storage, sensing, and transduction. However, achieving deterministic quantum control while limiting mechanical dissipation remains a persistent…
Precision measurements of space and time, like those made by the detectors of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO), are often confronted with fundamental limitations imposed by quantum mechanics. The Heisenberg…
Measuring very small forces, particularly those of a gravitational nature, has always been of great interest, as fundamental tests of our understanding of the physical laws. Ultra-long period mechanical oscillators, typically used in such…
Ponderomotive squeezing of light, where a mechanical oscillator creates quantum correlations between the phase and amplitude of the interacting light field, is a canonical signature of the quantum regime of optomechanics. At room…
It has recently become possible to encode the quantum state of superconducting qubits and the position of nanomechanical oscillators into the states of microwave fields. However, to make an ideal measurement of the state of a qubit, or to…
Accurate measurement of pressure with a wide dynamic range holds significant importance for various applications. This issue can be realized with a mechanical nano-oscillator, where the pressure-related collisions with surrounding molecules…
The measurement of micron-sized mechanical resonators by electrical techniques is difficult, because of the combination of a high frequency and a small mechanical displacement which together suppress the electromechanical coupling. The only…
We create an ultracold-atoms-based cavity optomechanical system in which as many as six distinguishable mechanical oscillators are prepared, and optically detected, near their ground states of motion. We demonstrate that the motional state…
Nanomechanical systems offer a versatile platform for both fundamental science and industrial applications. Resonating vibration has been demonstrated to enable an ultrasensitive detection of various physical quantities, with emerging…
In the quest to develop viable designs for third-generation optical interferometric gravitational-wave detectors (e.g., LIGO-III and EURO), one strategy is to monitor the relative momentum or speed of the test-mass mirrors, rather than…
Spontaneous wavefunction collapse theories provide the possibility to resolve the measurement problem of quantum mechanics. However, the best experimental tests have been limited by thermal fluctuations and have operated at frequencies far…
We study the stationary and nonstationary measurement of a classical force driving a mechanical oscillator coupled to an electromagnetic cavity under two-tone driving. For this purpose, we develop a theoretical framework based on the…
Photo-induced forces can be used to manipulate and cool the mechanical motion of oscillators. When the oscillator is used as a force sensor, such as in atomic force microscopy, active feedback is an enticing route to enhancing measurement…
Observing a physical quantity without disturbing it is a key capability for the control of individual quantum systems. Such back-action-evading or quantum-non-demolition measurements were first introduced in the 1970s in the context of…
Precisely engineered mechanical oscillators keep time, filter signals, and sense motion, making them an indispensable part of today's technological landscape. These unique capabilities motivate bringing mechanical devices into the quantum…