Yiwen Chu – The quantum world of massive mechanical objects

Yiwen Chu

Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland 

Abstract

One of the first model systems we encounter in quantum mechanics class is a mass on a spring. However, in practice, it is not easy to observe a massive mechanical object exhibiting the quantum properties of a harmonic oscillator, such as zero-point fluctuations, energy quantization, or quantum superpositions. Nevertheless, in recent years, it has become possible to control and the measure the quantum states of the motion of macroscopic mechanical objects. I will present our recent experiments on creating “Schrödinger cat” states in a bulk acoustic wave resonator by coupling it to a superconducting circuit, and how we can observe the quantum ground state of a several hundred microgram mechanical mode using light. I will also discuss the applications of these systems in quantum information, quantum sensing, and explorations of fundamental physics.

Leuchs-Russell Auditorium, A.1.500, Staudtstr. 2
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