Quantum Mechanics is based on a wave-mechanical description of a system and on the von Neumann postulate (1920s) that a quantum measurement results in an indeterministic outcome. The wave-mechanical description allows for superposition states of a system (e.g. an object being in two places at the same time), and the von Neumann postulate implies that one cannot directly detect such a superposition. Models of environmental induced decoherence do give an explanation of why quantum superpositions are not observed in everyday life, however the indeterministic nature of the measurement outcome is still the topic of many debates. The aim of this research proposal is to create a quantum superposition states involving of order 10^14 atoms. Such quantum superposition states will be ten orders of magnitude more massive than any quantum superposition observed to date and will therefore provide a fundamental test of quantum mechanics in a new regime.
The experiment contains a tiny mirror (smaller in diameter than the thickness of a human hair) that is part of an optical cavity, which forms one arm of an interferometer. The mirror is mounted on a tiny Silicon rod and can be displaced by the multiple reflections of a photon. A single photon is sent into the interferometer and will evolve into a superposition of being inside the optical cavity with the tiny mirror, thereby slightly displacing it, and being in the other arm of the interferometer, leaving the mirror at rest. The superposition of a single photon is therefore transferred to a superposition of the mirror, or more precise, the mirror becomes entangled with the photon. By observing the interference of the photon leaving the interferometer one can study the creation and decoherence of superpositions involving the mirror. Preliminary experiments have been supported by a one-year NSF exploratory-research grant and led to remarkable initial progress; a high-quality Bragg mirror of diameter 20 microns has been fabricated using a focussed ion beam and has been positioned onto a Silicon cantilever [tip of an atomic force microscope (AFM)]. The cantilever/mirror system has been piezo-positioned to be the end mirror of an optical cavity. Measurements in air showed an initial cavity finesse of 1000.
The individual components of the precision measurement system will be of interest for applications in many other fields with direct benefits to society. Anticipated spin-off projects are ultra-fast switchable mirrors (for optical communication), ultra-high resolution AFM readout, and optical cooling of micro-mechanical oscillators (for position measurements). The project will provide excellent training since it combines fundamental research interests with cutting-edge technologies. Since the project involves different subprojects, it is the intention to have several undergraduate researchers assisting the project each summer, as well a high-school students participating in the UCSB summer science education program.
