This award supports the development and construction of a highly advanced cryogenic quantum measurement system. The system will be used to study the frontiers and possible boundaries of quantum mechanics, and will serve a wide range of collaborators (experimental and theoretical), as well as being central to the advanced education of students. The experiments which this system will enable with microfabricated, nanomechanical structures will help to resolve fundamental questions of modern physics, especially those concerning the boundary between the Classical and Quantum regimes, and questions regarding the validity of quantum mechanics for large objects. Furthermore, these developments are expected to impact advanced technologies, particularly those requiring ultra-sensitive mechanical detectors and in the realms of quantum information and computation. To enter and probe this exciting realm of physics, an advanced new system is required which combines a nuclear demagnetization refrigerator accessing 1-10mK temperatures with a heavily engineered electronic environment. The proposed system and resulting research activity will also provide an excellent education to the students and researchers.
