UNC-CH Physics and Astronomy Colloquium

Hailin Wang, University of Oregon

“Toward Quantum Control of Mechanical Motion”

Quantum fluctuations or zero-point fluctuations of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator are many orders-of-magnitudes smaller than the size of an atom. The control of mechanical motion at this length scale opens a new frontier in quantum science and technology, but poses formidable experimental challenges. In this talk, I will discuss two closely-related experimental approaches aimed at achieving quantum control of mechanical motion. For the opto-mechanical approach, a mechanical oscillator is coupled to an optical microcavity via radiation pressure. The opto-mechanical interactions can cool the mechanical oscillator to its motional ground state and can generate entanglement between optical and mechanical systems. For the spin-mechanical approach, a mechanical oscillator is coupled to an electron spin via strain induced by the mechanical vibration. Phonon-assisted optical or spin transitions enable the control of mechanical motion. Complete quantum control of both the spin and mechanical degrees of freedom in this system can provide a promising experimental platform for quantum computers.