Northwestern Events Calendar

Feb
5
2015

Professor Keith Schwab: Look, but don't touch: mechanically detecting and evading the quantum fluctu

When: Thursday, February 5, 2015
4:00 PM - 5:00 PM CT

Where: Technological Institute, F160, 2145 Sheridan Road, Evanston, IL 60208 map it

Audience: Faculty/Staff - Student - Public

Contact: Liz Lwanga   (847) 491-3645

Group: Physics and Astronomy Condensed Matter Physics Seminars

Category: Academic

Description:

Title: Look, but don't touch: mechanically detecting and evading the quantum fluctuations of a microwave field


Speaker: Professor Keith Schwab, Cal Tech


Abstract: In the 1970's, during the theoretical investigation of the ultimate sensitivity of gravitational wave detectors, it was understood that quantum fluctuations of the electro-magneti c field used to probe the motion, would produces a force noise which would limit the sensitivity. After this was understood, people developed schemes to avoid this limitation by giving up complete knowledge of the motion. In our recent experiments with micron-scale mechanical structures coupled to microwave resonators at milli-kelvin temperatures, we detect this force noise generated by the quantum fluctuations of a microwave field, and show how to avoid this stochastic noise by measuring a single quadrature of motion. I will also discuss our recent work with superfluid helium which we hope will demonstrate the wavelike nature of a centimeter/gram scale object. 

Keywords: Physics, Astronomy, CMP

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