Program of low temperature quantum nanoscience

当物质冷却到低温时，通常会出现新的性质，因为随着系统的热能减少，其他更低能量的影响变得更加重要。例如，有大量的材料在低温下表现出超导电性，但我们还没有一个室温超导体。我们的研究项目专注于低温下发生的超导现象，这些现象对基础科学都很重要，并有望实现室温(或至少更高温度)的应用。具体地说，我们将低温技术与纳米科学和纳米制造相结合，探索纳米级系统的低温物理。我们计划的一个方面是探索纳米机械谐振器中从经典力学到量子力学的交叉。在纳米机械谐振器的制造和对测量的敏感性方面的进展开始揭示纳米结构器件的量子特性。有趣的是，这些谐振器比量子力学通常支配的尺寸要大得多。我们还使用这些相同的纳米机械谐振器作为其他低温物理系统的极灵敏的探测器，特别是纳米级超导体和量子流体。我们计划的另一个方面是探索量子流体(即冷却到低温并受到量子力学定律支配的氦的形式)的性质在受限于纳米尺度时如何变化。我们正在寻找新的超流相和其他奇异而美丽的现象。将纳米科学的惊人工具与低温物理彻底研究有趣系统的能力相结合，将使我们能够探索以前遥不可及的令人兴奋的物理。

When matter is cooled to low temperatures new properties often emerge, because as the thermal energy of a system is reduced other, lower energy, effects become more important. For example, there are a large number of materials that exhibit superconductivity at low temperatures, but we do not yet have a single room temperature superconductor. Our research program focuses on phenomena like superconductivity that occur at low temperatures, which are both important to fundamental science and hold the promise of enabling room temperature (or at least higher temperature) applications. Specifically, we combine low temperature techniques with nanoscience and nanofabrication to explore the low temperature physics of nanoscale systems. One aspect of our program is devoted to exploring the crossover from classical to quantum mechanics in nanomechanical resonators. Advances in the manufacture of, and sensitivity to the measurement of, nanomechanical resonators is beginning to reveal quantum properties of nanofabricated devices. Interestingly, these resonators are much larger than the size scale on which quantum mechanics typically reigns. We also use these same nanomechanical resonators as exquisitely sensitive probes of other physical systems at low temperatures, specifically nanoscale superconductors and quantum fluids. Another aspect of our program is exploring how the properties of quantum fluids (i.e. forms of helium that have been cooled to low temperatures and have become governed by the laws of quantum mechanics) change when they are confined to nanoscale dimensions. We are searching for new superfluid phases and other exotic and beautiful phenomenon. Combining the amazing tools of nanoscience, with the ability of low temperature physics to cleanly study interesting systems, will allow us to explore exciting physics previously out of reach.