Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1608.06152 · Physical Review Letters

Quantum Backaction Evading Measurement of Collective Mechanical Modes

Caspar F. Ockeloen-Korppi, Erno Damskägg, J.-M. Pirkkalainen, A. A. Clerk, Matthew J. Woolley, Mika A. Sillanpää

Published Sep 26, 2016• 115 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

The standard quantum limit constrains the precision of an oscillator position measurement. It arises from a balance between the imprecision and the quantum backaction of the measurement. However, a measurement of only a single quadrature of the oscillator can evade the backaction and be made with arbitrary precision. Here we demonstrate quantum backaction evading measurements of a collective quadrature of two mechanical oscillators, both coupled to a common microwave cavity. The work allows for quantum state tomography of two mechanical oscillators, and provides a foundation for macroscopic mechanical entanglement and force sensing beyond conventional quantum limits.

DOI
10.1103/physrevlett.117.140401

Related papers

Backaction-Evading Measurement of Mechanical Motion in the Optical Domain

Itay Shomroni, Liu Qiu, Tobias Jan Kippenberg

When measuring the position of a mechanical oscillator, quantum mechanics imposes a strict limit on the attainable precision: Any reduction of imprecision leads to increased quantum backaction of the measuring probe on the oscillator. This quantum limit can be circumvented, in principle allowing to indefinitely reduce imprecision, by monitoring only a single quadrature of the oscillator. Such backaction-evading measurement has been recently demonstrated in electromechanical oscillators coupled to microwave resonant circuits. Here we demonstrate this technique in a photonic crystal nanomechanical oscillator, cryogenically and optomechanically cooled to a few quanta.

International Conference on Optical MEMS and Nanophotonics•Jul 1, 2018•0 citations

Optical backaction-evading measurement of a mechanical oscillator

Itay Shomroni, Liu Qiu, Daniel Malz +2 more

Quantum mechanics imposes a limit on the precision of a continuous position measurement of a harmonic oscillator, due to backaction arising from quantum fluctuations in the measurement field. This standard quantum limit can be surpassed by monitoring only one of the two non-commuting quadratures of the motion, known as backaction-evading measurement. This technique has not been implemented using optical interferometers to date. Here we demonstrate, in a cavity optomechanical system operating in the optical domain, a continuous two-tone backaction-evading measurement of a localized gigahertz-frequency mechanical mode of a photonic-crystal nanobeam cryogenically and optomechanically cooled close to the ground state. Employing quantum-limited optical heterodyne detection, we explicitly show the transition from conventional to backaction-evading measurement. We observe up to 0.67 dB (14%) reduction of total measurement noise, thereby demonstrating the viability of backaction-evading measurements in nanomechanical resonators for optical ultrasensitive measurements of motion and force.

arXiv:1809.01007•Nature Communications•May 7, 2019•77 citations

Backaction-evading measurement of entanglement in optomechanics

Francesco Massel

We propose here a fully backaction-evading scheme for the measurement of the entanglement between two nanomechanical resonators. The system, which consists of two mechanical oscillators, coupled to a single mode of an electromagnetic resonant cavity through a radiation-pressure interaction term, is driven by two pump tones and four detection tones. As previously discussed in the literature, the former induce entanglement between the two mechanical oscillators, while we show here that a specific choice of phase and amplitude of the detection tones allows for direct pairwise reconstruction of the collective quadrature fluctuations of the mechanical oscillators belonging to quantum-mechanics-free subspaces, thereby providing direct evidence of the entanglement properties of the two mechanical resonators.

arXiv:1907.09882•Physical Review A•Aug 15, 2019•7 citations

Quantum backaction evading measurements of a silicon nitride membrane resonator

Yulong Liu, Jingwei Zhou, Laure Mercier de Lépinay +1 more

Abstract Quantum backaction disturbs the measurement of the position of a mechanical oscillator by introducing additional fluctuations. In a quantum backaction measurement technique, the backaction can be evaded, although at the cost of losing part of the information. In this work, we carry out such a quantum backaction measurement using a large 0.5 mm diameter silicon nitride membrane oscillator with 707 kHz frequency, via a microwave cavity readout. The measurement shows that quantum backaction noise can be evaded in the quadrature measurement of the motion of a large object.

arXiv:2201.11041•New Journal of Physics•Aug 1, 2022•16 citations

Force metrology using quantum correlations of light due to a room-temperature mechanical oscillator

Vivishek Sudhir, Ryan Schilling, Sergey A. Fedorov +3 more

The radiation pressure interaction of light with a mechanical oscillator leads to a fundamental disturbance on the oscillator. This disturbance - measurement backaction - is due to the quantum fluctuations in the amplitude of the light. When the phase of the light is detected to infer the mechanical position, quantum fluctuations in the phase - measurement imprecision - leads to a further uncertainty in the estimate of the position. In this conventional measurement strategy, these two noise sources impose a fundamental limit on the ability to estimate the position of the mechanical object - the so-called standard quantum limit [1]. However, the two noise contributions are in general correlated. The fluctuations in the amplitude quadrature drive the mechanical oscillator, and this backaction driven motion is transduced into the phase quadrature. Correlations thus established [2] form a valuable quantum mechanical resource that can be directly employed for back-action cancellation in the measurement record via “variational measurements” [3].

Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)•Jun 1, 2017•1 citation

Optical Back-action Evading Measurement of Mechanical Oscillator

Liu Qiu, Itay Shomroni, Daniel Malz +2 more

Quantum mechanics sets a limit on continuous position measurement of a harmonic oscillator, due to quantum backaction from quantum fluctuations in the measurement field. We demonstrate continuous optical two-tone backaction-evading measurement of a mechanical mode of a photonic crystal nanobeam.

Quantum Information and Measurement (QIM)•Jan 1, 2019•1 citation
The standard quantum limit constrains the precision of an oscillator position measurement. It arises from a balance between the imprecision and the quantum backaction of the measurement. However, a measurement of only a single quadrature of the oscillator can evade the backaction and be made with arbitrary precision. Here we demonstrate quantum backaction evading measurements of a collective quadrature of two mechanical oscillators, both coupled to a common microwave cavity. The work allows for quantum state tomography of two mechanical oscillators, and provides a foundation for macroscopic mechanical entanglement and force sensing beyond conventional quantum limits.
When measuring the position of a mechanical oscillator, quantum mechanics imposes a strict limit on the attainable precision: Any reduction of imprecision leads to increased quantum backaction of the measuring probe on the oscillator. This quantum limit can be circumvented, in principle allowing to indefinitely reduce imprecision, by monitoring only a single quadrature of the oscillator. Such backaction-evading measurement has been recently demonstrated in electromechanical oscillators coupled to microwave resonant circuits. Here we demonstrate this technique in a photonic crystal nanomechanical oscillator, cryogenically and optomechanically cooled to a few quanta.
Quantum mechanics imposes a limit on the precision of a continuous position measurement of a harmonic oscillator, due to backaction arising from quantum fluctuations in the measurement field. This standard quantum limit can be surpassed by monitoring only one of the two non-commuting quadratures of the motion, known as backaction-evading measurement. This technique has not been implemented using optical interferometers to date. Here we demonstrate, in a cavity optomechanical system operating in the optical domain, a continuous two-tone backaction-evading measurement of a localized gigahertz-frequency mechanical mode of a photonic-crystal nanobeam cryogenically and optomechanically cooled close to the ground state. Employing quantum-limited optical heterodyne detection, we explicitly show the transition from conventional to backaction-evading measurement. We observe up to 0.67 dB (14%) reduction of total measurement noise, thereby demonstrating the viability of backaction-evading measurements in nanomechanical resonators for optical ultrasensitive measurements of motion and force.
We propose here a fully backaction-evading scheme for the measurement of the entanglement between two nanomechanical resonators. The system, which consists of two mechanical oscillators, coupled to a single mode of an electromagnetic resonant cavity through a radiation-pressure interaction term, is driven by two pump tones and four detection tones. As previously discussed in the literature, the former induce entanglement between the two mechanical oscillators, while we show here that a specific choice of phase and amplitude of the detection tones allows for direct pairwise reconstruction of the collective quadrature fluctuations of the mechanical oscillators belonging to quantum-mechanics-free subspaces, thereby providing direct evidence of the entanglement properties of the two mechanical resonators.
Abstract Quantum backaction disturbs the measurement of the position of a mechanical oscillator by introducing additional fluctuations. In a quantum backaction measurement technique, the backaction can be evaded, although at the cost of losing part of the information. In this work, we carry out such a quantum backaction measurement using a large 0.5 mm diameter silicon nitride membrane oscillator with 707 kHz frequency, via a microwave cavity readout. The measurement shows that quantum backaction noise can be evaded in the quadrature measurement of the motion of a large object.
The radiation pressure interaction of light with a mechanical oscillator leads to a fundamental disturbance on the oscillator. This disturbance - measurement backaction - is due to the quantum fluctuations in the amplitude of the light. When the phase of the light is detected to infer the mechanical position, quantum fluctuations in the phase - measurement imprecision - leads to a further uncertainty in the estimate of the position. In this conventional measurement strategy, these two noise sources impose a fundamental limit on the ability to estimate the position of the mechanical object - the so-called standard quantum limit [1]. However, the two noise contributions are in general correlated. The fluctuations in the amplitude quadrature drive the mechanical oscillator, and this backaction driven motion is transduced into the phase quadrature. Correlations thus established [2] form a valuable quantum mechanical resource that can be directly employed for back-action cancellation in the measurement record via “variational measurements” [3].