Record-Setting Quantum Motion Created By Physicists At NIST

Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com – Physicists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a method for making an ion (electrically charged atom) display exact quantities of quantum-level motion—any specific amount up to 100 packets of energy or “quanta,” more than five times the previous record high of 17.

In their study, researchers used a single beryllium ion held 40 micrometers above the gold electrodes of a chilled electromagnetic trap.

NIST physicist Katie McCormick adjusts a mirror to steer a laser beam used to cool a trapped beryllium ion (electrically charged atom). McCormick and colleagues got the ion to display record-setting levels of quantum motion, an advance that can improve quantum measurements and quantum computing. Credit: Burrus/NIST

NIST physicist Katie McCormick adjusts a mirror to steer a laser beam used to cool a trapped beryllium ion (electrically charged atom). McCormick and colleagues got the ion to display record-setting levels of quantum motion, an advance that can improve quantum measurements and quantum computing. Credit: Burrus/NIST

Quantum mechanics, the fundamental theory of the atomic world, states that energy is released or absorbed in tiny parcels, or packets, called quanta.

Atoms release light energy by radiating photons, or quanta of light. When caught in a trap by researchers, atoms’ motional energy is carried by phonons, or quanta of motion.

The team controlled the pendulum-like motion of their ion to simultaneously exhibit two different amounts of motional quanta: zero (minimum motion) plus any number up to 18. Such a “superposition” of two states is a hallmark of the curious quantum world.

“If we have quantum control of an object, we can ‘bend’ classical rules to have lower uncertainties in certain desired directions at the expense of greater uncertainties in other directions,” first author Katie McCormick said in a press release.

“We can then use the quantum state as a ruler to measure properties of a system. The more quantum control we have, the more tightly spaced the lines on the ruler are, allowing us to measure quantities more and more precisely.”

The techniques could lead to new types of quantum simulators and sensors using phonons as the carriers of information. In addition, the ability to tailor superposition states can improve quantum measurements and quantum information processing.

Read more – here.

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Written by Eddie Gonzales Jr. – MessageToEagle.com Staff