Concepts and technology development towards a platform for macroscopic quantum experiments in space

Rainer Kaltenbaek, Thilo Schuldt, Nikolai Kiesel +9 more

Rainer Kaltenbaek, Markus Arndt, Markus Aspelmeyer +44 more

Abstract The objective of the proposed macroscopic quantum resonators (MAQRO) mission is to harness space for achieving long free-fall times, extreme vacuum, nano-gravity, and cryogenic temperatures to test the foundations of physics in macroscopic quantum experiments at the interface with gravity. Developing the necessary technologies, achieving the required sensitivities and providing the necessary isolation of macroscopic quantum systems from their environment will lay the path for developing novel quantum sensors. Earlier studies showed that the proposal is feasible but that several critical challenges remain, and key technologies need to be developed. Recent scientific and technological developments since the original proposal of MAQRO promise the potential for achieving additional science objectives. The proposed research campaign aims to advance the state of the art and to perform the first macroscopic quantum experiments in space. Experiments on the ground, in micro-gravity, and in space will drive the proposed research campaign during the current decade to enable the implementation of MAQRO within the subsequent decade.

Eugene Simon Polzik

Recent ideas and technological developments have made possible studies of macroscopic objects deep in the quantum regime. In the talk I will discuss the experiment where an entangled Einstein-Podolsky-Rosen (EPR) state has been generated between distant mechanical and atomic oscillators [1]. The concept of an oscillator with an effective negative mass crucial for those experiments will be presented. Such entanglement allows to measure disturbances in the position and the momentum of an oscillator simultaneously, the trait which may seem counterintuitive. Using this entangled state, the trajectory of motion of the oscillator in phase space can be traced with, in principle, unlimited accuracy. Progress towards application of those ideas to gravitational wave detectors [2] following the proposals [3], [4] will be reported.

Rainer Kaltenbaek

Slava G. Turyshev, ULF E. ISRAELSSON, Michael Shao +12 more

Rainer Kaltenbaek, Markus Arndt, Markus Aspelmeyer +43 more

The objective of the proposed MAQRO mission is to harness space for achieving long free-fall times, extreme vacuum, nano-gravity, and cryogenic temperatures to test the foundations of physics in macroscopic quantum experiments. This will result in the development of novel quantum sensors and a means to probe the foundations of quantum physics at the interface with gravity. Earlier studies showed that the proposal is feasible but that several critical challenges remain, and key technologies need to be developed. These new technologies will open up the potential for achieving additional science objectives. The proposed research campaign aims to advance the state of the art and to perform the first macroscopic quantum experiments in space. Experiments on the ground, in micro-gravity, and in space will drive the proposed research campaign during the current decade to enable the implementation of MAQRO within the subsequent decade.