New regimes of quantum optomechanics using leviated superfluids
Abstract
The work proposed here will develop a unique new experimental platform capable of investigating fundamental scientific questions across a wide range of disciplines. This platform consists of a millimeter-scale drop of superfluid liquid helium that is magnetically levitated in vacuum. The unique properties of liquid helium (LHe), combined with the isolation provided by magnetic levitation in vacuum, will be used to address outstanding questions in quantum optomechanics, quantum sensing, the foundations of quantum physics, particle physics beyond the standard model, fluid mechanics, and physical chemistry. The proposed experiments are designed around the LHe drop’s ability to simultaneously serve as a high-finesse optical cavity, an ultrasensitive mechanical element, and as a refrigerant. Specifically, optical whispering gallery modes (WGMs) within the drop will serve as cavities, while the drop’s shape oscillations and rotations will serve as the mechanical degrees of freedom. Unlike other levitated systems, the drop can cool itself efficiently via evaporation. The optical WGMs are expected to have world-record finesse, owing to the nearly vanishing optical loss in LHe. Likewise, the superfluidity of LHe suppresses the mechanical modes’ damping, while these modes’ exceptionally low stiffness results in large quantum fluctuations of the drop and correspondingly strong coupling between the drop’s mechanical and optical degrees of freedom.
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Nov 26, 2019
- Source ID
- N000142012628
Entities
People
- Jack Harris
Organizations
- Office of Naval Research
- United States Navy
- Yale University