Quantum Optomechanics

物理学正在经历“第二次量子革命”，我们正在将量子力学从原子和亚原子领域推向宏观领域。在过去六年中，在使用光学技术（被称为腔光力学）对机械系统进行精确测量的显著进展的基础上，我的实验室正在努力解决机械物体在一个仅受基本量子力学考虑限制的水平上的运动。为了给人一种尺度感，我们目前的测量方法能够解决一个机械物体在飞米以下的位移，这是一个单个原子的原子核的尺度，而且一直在变得更好。此外，我们正朝着对具有真正量子特性的宏观物体进行测量的方向发展，如量子化能级、纠缠和宏观叠加态。这种在宏观尺度上进行的量子实验正开始实现一些曾经被认为只是“根底实验”的情况，比如著名的薛定谔的猫的思想实验。虽然看起来很奇特，但这些并不纯粹是学术上的探索。在人造物体中利用量子力学为量子信息和通信中的许多新量子技术打开了大门。****每天，我实验室里那些了不起的学生都在努力开发工具和技术，在宏观机械物体上进行这些量子实验。他们已经建立了世界上唯一一个能够在稀释冰箱内使用凹形锥形光纤（这是测量片上光机械谐振器的最有效技术）的系统。该系统将使我们的机械设备冷却到10 mK，从系统中去除热能进入量子状态，同时确保我们的测量具有高量子效率。首先，我们将被动地将我们的设备冷却到尽可能低的热占用，然后我们将使用光学技术将它们一直推到基态。一旦到那里，我们将调用我们一直在开发的非线性光力学方案来执行真正的量子测量。我们的长期目标是观察驱动装置中的声子散粒噪声，然后直接测量量子化能级，即所谓的量子跃迁光谱。我们还在研究基于振荡超流体、脉冲量子测量等的新型量子谐振器。****这些实验需要最先进的光学，电子学，低温学和纳米制造-我的学生获得的所有市场技能。在我的实验室工作，使我们的员工能够在高科技公司找到工作，创业，并全面推进加拿大的知识型经济

Physics is undergoing a “second quantum revolution,” in which we are pushing quantum mechanics from the atomic and subatomic realms up to the macroscopic realm. Building upon remarkable advances over the last six years in precision measurements of mechanical systems using optical techniques, deemed cavity optomechanics, my lab is working to resolve the motion of mechanical objects at a level that is limited only by fundamental quantum mechanical considerations. To give a sense of scale, our current measurements are capable of resolving the displacements of a mechanical object below a femtometer, which is the scale of the nucleus of a single atom - and are getting better all the time. Furthermore, we are moving towards making measurements on macroscopic objects that exhibit truly quantum properties, such as quantized energy levels, entanglement, and macroscopic superpositions of states. Such quantum experiments on macroscale objects are beginning to realize situations that were once considered only gedanken experiments, such as the famous thought experiment of Schrodinger's cat. While seemingly exotic, these are not purely academic explorations. Harnessing quantum mechanics in man-made objects opens the door to a host of new quantum technologies in quantum information and communication.****Everyday, the amazing students in my lab are hard at work developing the tools and techniques to perform these quantum experiments on macroscale mechanical objects. They have built the only system in the world capable of using dimpled-tapered optical fibers (which is the most efficient technique for measuring on-chip optomechanical resonators) inside a dilution refrigerator. This system will enable cooling our mechanical devices down to 10 mK, removing thermal energy from the system to enter the quantum regime, while ensuring that our measurement has high quantum efficiency. To begin with we will passively cool our devices to as low of thermal occupation as possible, and then we will use optical techniques to push them all the way to their ground state. Once there, we will invoke nonlinear optomechanical schemes that we have been developing to perform truly quantum measurements. Our long term objectives are to observe phonon shot noise in a driven device, followed by direct measurement of quantized energy levels, so-called quantum jump spectroscopy. We are also pursuing new classes of quantum resonators based on oscillating superfluids, pulsed quantum measurements, and much more. ****These experiments require state-of-the-art optics, electronics, cryogenics, and nanofabrication - all marketable skills gained by my students. Working in my lab enables our personnel to find jobs at high-tech companies, start their own businesses, and overall advance Canada's knowledge-based economy.**