Researchers at NIST have developed a new measurement system that can detect quantum fluctuations in a tiny aluminum drum. The system, which fits on a microchip, consists of three elements: the drumhead mechanical resonator, an attached inductor coil, and an artificial atom made from a superconducting Josephson junction.
The researchers used the artificial atom as a new measurement resource to perform two important tests on the optomechanical system. First, they confirmed that the mechanical resonator could be cooled to its ground state by showing that it was impossible to remove energy from it. Second, they used parametric amplification to amplify the zero-point fluctuations, which altered the dimensions of the cavity and made the fluctuations “real” and detectable by the artificial atom.
The system provides a new, powerful platform for developing new detection methods for unbeatable precision measurements and could be used in reverse to generate specific phonon states on-demand. The research has important implications for testing fundamental properties of quantum mechanics and developing new applications in quantum information.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/news-events/news/2015/06/vacuum-fluctuations-measuring-unreal
Keywords: Zero-point energy, quantum fluctuations, artificial atom, parametric amplification, quantum information
