Description du projet
Études des caractéristiques quantiques des gouttelettes ambulantes
Des recherches innovatrices récentes ont révélé qu’une gouttelette millimétrique présente à la surface d’un bain de fluide vibrant est capable de s’autopropulser par une interaction résonnante avec son propre champ d’ondes. Des résultats expérimentaux ont également indiqué que les gouttelettes ambulantes présentent certaines caractéristiques que l’on croyait de l’apanage du domaine quantique. Le projet EnHydro, financé par l’UE, évalue le potentiel et les limites de ce système hydrodynamique en tant qu’analogue quantique. Le circuit de fluide est comparé à la théorie de l’onde pilote de la physique quantique et à d’autres théories de la mécanique quantique. La nature innovante de la recherche tient au fait qu’elle élargira l’éventail des comportements possibles des systèmes classiques. Les travaux de recherche entendent montrer comment deux gouttelettes qui n’interagissent pas entre elles communiquent au moyen de champs d’ondes stationnaires en vue de procéder à la démonstration d’un analogue hydrodynamique de l’intrication quantique, un phénomène qui permet de faire la distinction entre mécanique quantique de physique classique.
Objectif
A series of ground-braking experiments performed at 2005 showed that millimetric liquid drops can self-propel along the surface of a vibrating fluid bath, by virtue of a resonant interaction with their own wave field. Even more, they demonstrated a version of the famous single-particle diffraction experiment, where one droplet at a time passed through a single or a double slit. The resulting statistical behaviour for successive drops revealed the emergence of wavelike diffraction (single slit) and interference patterns (double slit), a feature previously thought to be exclusive to the microscopic quantum realm. Following investigations established hydrodynamic analogs of many more quantum phenomena with this system, including tunneling, quantized orbits, orbital level splitting, spin states, and more. As of yet, an analog of quantum entanglement remains elusive, but very recent results pave the way in that direction. EnHydro aims to establish entanglement measures in pilot-wave hydrodynamics through experiments with droplets confined to separate wells and their theoretical rationalization. Experiments to test Bell’s inequalities in this particle-wave-particle system are envisioned as well. Furthermore, physical analogies with quantum entanglement and with theories proposed to rationalize quantum phenomena at the atomic level will be investigated. The originality of this project also lies in its multidisciplinary character and the complementarity of two world-leading research groups in interrelating approaches. It combines a major experimental component using the state-of-the-art set-up available at MIT, with pioneering mathematical algorithms recently developed at ESPCI. The novelty of the proposed research is that it will extend the range of behaviours accessible to classical systems. It will demonstrate how two (otherwise) non-interacting particles (droplets) can communicate through fields of standing waves, which is an extremely novel communication protocol.
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MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)Coordinateur
75794 Paris
France