Project description
Superposition states of motion via a hybrid atom-nanomechanical oscillator system
Nanomechanical oscillators are excellent sensors. Their small mass makes them very sensitive to small perturbations and they lose very little energy to the environment (measured by the quality factor). Novel ‘strained’ nanomechanical resonators have unparalleled quality factors at room temperature and thermal-limited force sensitivities; however, their dielectric materials interact minimally with sensing targets and other quantum systems. The ERC-funded SEQUENCE project aims to functionalise strained nanomechanical oscillators with nanomagnets, allowing sensing of single-proton spins. These will then be coherently coupled to a single atom via optical tweezer technology to generate quantum states of motion. The devices can also be exploited in on-chip force sensors for unprecedented characterisation of biomolecules and quantum devices.
Objective
Strained nanomechanical resonators have record-high quality factors at room temperature and state-of-the-art thermal-limited force sensitivities. However, they are typically made of dielectric materials that do not interact strongly with neither sensing targets nor other quantum systems. I propose to functionalize ultracoherent mechanical resonators with a nanomagnet to unleash their potential both for nanoscale magnetic sensing and the creation of hybrid quantum systems. The force sensitivity of the best strained nanomechanical resonators allows sensing of single proton spins when functionalized with a nanomagnet, providing new ways to characterize quantum devices and to investigate the three-dimensional structure of complex molecules such as proteins.
Direct coupling of mechanical resonators and a single two-level system is a challenging but attractive route to synthesis of arbitrary quantum motional states in mechanical resonators. The low frequency of strained nanomechanical resonators has made this type of interaction elusive, but recent progress makes it conceivable to coherently couple a single atom and mechanical motion by direct magnetic coupling. I will leverage optical tweezer technology to directly couple the internal quantum states of a single atom to the motion of an ultracoherent mechanical resonator and exploit this interaction to generate quantum states of motion.
By combining integrated photonics with ultracoherent nanomechanical resonators, SEQUENCE will develop unprecedently sensitive on-chip force sensors that can be used for characterization of biomolecules and quantum devices. The hybrid atom-mechanical system will realize a new interaction between single quantum systems and mechanical resonators which can be used in tests of fundamental physics, quantum sensing and quantum information processing.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesopticscavity optomechanics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesquantum physics
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesatomic physics
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringsensors
- engineering and technologymedical engineeringdiagnostic imagingmagnetic resonance imaging
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Keywords
Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
412 96 Goteborg
Sweden