Preparation of the Quantum Ground of a Mechanical Resonator

* 非技术性摘要 * 描述原子、电子和光子微观世界行为的基本理论被称为量子力学。量子力学已经在实验室实验和测试中证明了自己的正确性，没有已知的例外。尽管如此，将量子力学应用于更大的物体和长度尺度仍然存在概念上的问题。例如，量子力学认为振动机械系统的能量应该量子化，只有离散的能量值是可能的。此外，该理论要求位置测量必然会扰动机械结构的运动，称为海森堡不确定性原理。这两个预言都远远超出了我们对经典现实的正常经验。该项目将进行实验，以探测由数十亿个原子组成的小型机械结构中这些微妙而奇异的效应。这将通过采用最先进的实验科学工具来实现：纳米纤维，超低温物理学和量子计算电子设备。该项目将支持这些先进技术的博士生教育，这些先进技术在历史上已经证明是从学术界到我们最先进的技术行业的许多科学职业的优秀培训。这个项目要么成功地证明量子力学在奇怪的大尺度上是正确的，要么我们会失败，并可能发现量子力学尚未发现的新特征。这两种可能性都将改变我们对量子力学的理解和我们对物理世界的看法。技术摘要 * 该项目将进行实验，以探测机械结构中的量子测量极限。这些技术正在制造和测量由100亿个原子形成的小型射频机械结构的量子基态。这将使用耦合到非常低损耗的超导微波谐振器的纳米机械结构来实现。此外，使用这些技术，似乎可以产生检测，避免海森堡不确定性原理（HUP）所要求的连续测量的反作用，并产生压缩状态，其中不确定性周期性地下降到HUP以下。通过对这些压缩态衰变过程的研究，可望为宏观物体的环境退相干机制提供定量的检验。由于纳米机电设备和超导电子技术的最新进展，这些实验现在只是最近才成为可能。该项目将支持这些先进技术的博士生教育，这些先进技术在历史上已经证明是从学术界到我们最先进的技术行业的许多科学职业的优秀培训。这些实验有望引起科学界的普遍兴趣，并为追求纳米级灵敏检测的社会提供超灵敏读出技术。

****NON-TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****The fundamental theory which describes the behavior of the microscopic world of atoms, electrons, and photons is called quantum mechanics. Quantum mechanics has shown itself to be correct in laboratory experiments and tests, with no known exceptions. In spite of this, there are conceptual problems with applying quantum mechanics to larger objects and length scales. For instance, quantum mechanics says that the energy of vibrating mechanical system should quantized, with only discreet values of the energy possible. Furthermore, the theory requires that position measurements will necessarily perturb the motion of the mechanical structure, called the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle. Both of these predictions are far outside our normal experience of classical reality. This project will pursue experiments to probe these subtle and bizarre effects in small mechanical structures formed by billions of atoms. This will be accomplished by employing the most advance tools of experimental science: nanofabrication, ultra-low temperature physics, and quantum computing electronic devices. This project will support the education of a PhD student in these advanced technologies, which has historically shown itself to be excellent training for many scientific careers from academia to our most advanced technology industries. This project will either succeed to show quantum mechanics is true at bizarrely large length scales, or we will fail and possibly find new features to quantum mechanics which are not yet known. Both possibilities would change our understanding of quantum mechanics and our view of the physical world.****TECHNICAL ABSTRACT****This project will pursue experiments to probe quantum measurement limits in mechanical structures. The techniques are in hand to produce and measure the quantum ground state of a small, radio frequency mechanical structure formed by 10 billion atoms. This will be accomplished using a nanomechanical structure coupled to a very low loss, superconducting microwave resonator. Furthermore, using these techniques, it appears possible to produce detection with avoids the backaction required by the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle (HUP) for continuous measurement, and to produce squeezed states, where the uncertainties periodically dip below the HUP. By careful study of the decay of these squeezed states, it is expected to be able to provide a quantitative test of environmental decoherence mechanisms for a somewhat macroscopic body. These experiments are now only very recently possible due to the latest advances in nano-electro-mechanical devices, superconducting electronics technology. This project will support the education of a PhD student in these advanced technologies, which has historically shown itself to be excellent training for many scientific careers from academia to our most advanced technology industries. These experiments are expected to be of general interest to the scientific community and to provide ultra-sensitive readout techniques especially for the community pursing sensitive detection at the nano-scale.