Non-classical energy squeezing of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator

Although quantum mechanics perfectly describes the physics of small and light objects, there are few experiments exploring its applicability to larger-scale systems, in particular where gravity may play a role. Writing in Nature Physics, an international research team bringing together researchers from NIST (Boulder, Colorado) and the Institut Néel (CNRS, Grenoble) now report a device that can control the quantum state of a massive oscillating membrane by interfacing the membrane with a qubit. They demonstrate the creation of an energy-squeezed state — a state of mechanical motion bearing non-classical features. This new platform presents a new way to explore macroscopic quantum mechanics.

Read the dedicated News & Views in Nature Physics: link

Contact: Jérémie Viennot