Sensors of Relativistic Phenomena Based on Solid-State Quantum Platforms

这项研究旨在确定和探索使用新兴量子平台作为各种天体物理现象（如连续引力波和标量暗物质）的精确探测器的前景和局限性。可控但脆弱的量子系统会受到弱力的显著扰动，从而充当微小力的探测器。无论是来自遥远的中子星的引力波，还是来自我们太阳附近的暗物质的引力波，都会产生微弱的力，因为物体的拉伸和挤压距离远远小于原子核的大小。这项研究将通过研究这些力在最先进的量子设备上的作用来研究探测这些力的可能性。它还将研究使用各种量子物体来探测弱力的技术和基本限制。当作用于扩展的固体物体时，上述两种相对论现象都会产生潮汐力。例如，这种力将被共振放大，并且可能在光学机械装置中被检测到。除了探索各种检测方案在技术和基础量子噪声方面的可行性外，该计划还将探索量子测量和基于反馈的传感改进。这项研究跨越了广泛的实验系统：超流氦声学装置，微米尺寸的SiN膜和光子晶体腔。这项理论工作包括结合分析和计算方法以及与粒子理论家和量子实验家的强有力合作。该项目由理论原子、分子和光学物理项目、刺激竞争性研究的既定项目（EPSCoR）以及材料研究部的凝聚态物质和材料理论项目共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This research aims to identify and explore the promise and limitations of using emerging quantum platforms as precise detectors of various astrophysical phenomena such as continuous gravitational waves and scalar dark matter. Controllable, yet fragile quantum systems can be perturbed significantly by weak forces, thus operating as detectors of tiny forces. Both gravitational waves from distant neutron stars or dark matter in our solar neighborhood would produce weak forces due to stretching and squeezing objects by distances much smaller than the size of the atomic nucleus. This research will study the possibility of detecting these forces by studying their action on state-of-the-art quantum devices. It will also investigate the technical and fundamental limitations on using various quantum objects to detect weak forces.Both of the relativistic phenomena mentioned above produce tidal forces when acting on extended solid objects. Such forces will be resonantly amplified and can possibly be detected in optomechanical setups, for instance. Along with exploring the viability of various detection schemes with respect to technical and fundamental quantum noise, this program will also explore quantum measurement and feedback-based sensing improvements. This research spans a wide range of experimental systems: superfluid helium acoustic devices, micron sized SiN membranes, and photonic crystal cavities. This theoretical work consists of a combined analytical and computational approach along with strong collaborations with both particle theorists and quantum experimentalists. This project is jointly funded by the Theoretical Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics Program, by the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR), and by the Condensed Matter and Materials Theory Program in the Division of Materials Research.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.