Kavli Affiliate: Nergis Mavalvala
| First 5 Authors: Benjamin B. Lane, Junxin Chen, Ronald E. Pagano, Scott Aronson, Garrett D. Cole
| Summary:
Squeezed mechanical states are a valuable tool for quantum sensing and error
correction in quantum computing, and a pivotal platform for tests of
fundamental physics. Recently, solid state mechanical oscillators have been
prepared in squeezed states using parametric interactions in both the microwave
and optical regimes. It has long been predicted that a fast measurement rate
comparable to the mechanical resonance frequency can prepare the oscillator
under measurement into a quantum squeezed state. Despite decades of effort,
this straightforward protocol is yet to be demonstrated in the quantum regime.
Here, we use post-processing techniques to demonstrate preparation of a 50 ng
GaAs cantilever in a conditional classical squeezed state with a minimum
uncertainty (0.28 plus/minus 0.18) dB above (1.07 plus/minus 0.04 times) the
zero point fluctuations, 3 orders of magnitude closer to the quantum regime in
variance than the previous record. This paves the way to real-time
measurement-based preparation of macroscopic oscillators in quantum squeezed
states, and can be adapted to mechanical systems as large as the kg-scale test
masses of the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO).
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