📋 Tender Overview
Sensing And Quantum Engineering With Magnetically Functionalized Ultracoherent Mechanical Resonators
Superposition States Of Motion Via A Hybrid Atom-Nanomechanical Oscillator Systemnanomechanical 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.
Funded Under
European Research Council (Erc)
Total Cost
€ 2 493 599,00
Eu Contribution
€ 2 493 599,00
Coordinated By
Chalmers Tekniska Hogskola Ab
Sweden
Start Date
1 June 2024
End Date
31 May 2029
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
