Dissipative Optomechanical Preparation of Macroscopic Quantum Superposition States

Mehdi Abdi, Peter Degenfeld-Schonburg, Mahdi Sameti, Carlos Navarrete-Benlloch, Michael J Hartmann

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75 Citations (Scopus)
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Abstract

The transition from quantum to classical physics remains an intensely debated question even though it has been investigated for more than a century. Further clarifications could be obtained by preparing macroscopic objects in spatial quantum superpositions and proposals for generating such states for nanomechanical devices either in a transient or a probabilistic fashion have been put forward. Here, we introduce a method to deterministically obtain spatial superpositions of arbitrary lifetime via dissipative state preparation. In our approach, we engineer a double-well potential for the motion of the mechanical element and drive it towards the ground state, which shows the desired spatial superposition, via optomechanical sideband cooling. We propose a specific implementation based on a superconducting circuit coupled to the mechanical motion of a lithium-decorated monolayer graphene sheet, introduce a method to verify the mechanical state by coupling it to a superconducting qubit, and discuss its prospects for testing collapse models for the quantum to classical transition.
Original languageEnglish
Article number233604
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume116
Issue number23
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 10 Jun 2016

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