Quantum Mechanics with Mechanical Structures

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Speaker(s): Keith Schwab

There appears to be no fundamental reason why macroscopic mechanical objects cannot demonstrate quantum phenomena such as energy quantization, superposition states, and entanglement. In fact, in recent years, researchers have been successful in demonstrating a few of these basic states in the laboratory including the quantum ground state of motion and the exchange of a single quantum with a superconducting qubit. I will review the history of thought in this area, highlight a few of the recent exciting experiments, and provide some thoughts on the near future of this field. For an overview of this field, see: “Quantum Optomechanics,” Aspelmeyer, Meystre, and Schwab, Physics Today 65, 29 (July 2012).

Colloquium

Junior and senior physics majors attend our biweekly colloquium series, held on Tuesday afternoons at 4:30 p.m. in Shanahan B460. The talks are open to all students and to the public, and are frequently attended by scientists from the other Claremont Colleges, Cal Poly Pomona, and others. The series features speakers from a broad range of institutions and fields of physics.