Macroscopic superpositions and gravimetry with quantum magnetomechanics

作者：Johnsson Mattias T; Brennen Gavin K; Twamley Jason^*

来源：Scientific Reports, 2016, 6(1): 37495.

DOI：10.1038/srep37495

Precision measurements of gravity can provide tests of fundamental physics and are of broad practical interest for metrology. We propose a scheme for absolute gravimetry using a quantum magnetomechanical system consisting of a magnetically trapped superconducting resonator whose motion is controlled and measured by a nearby RF-SQUID or flux qubit. By driving the mechanical massive resonator to be in a macroscopic superposition of two different heights our we predict that our interferometry protocol could, subject to systematic errors, achieve a gravimetric sensitivity of Delta g/g - 2.2 x 10(-10) Hz(-1/2), with a spatial resolution of a few nanometres. This sensitivity and spatial resolution exceeds the precision of current state of the art atom-interferometric and corner-cube gravimeters by more than an order of magnitude, and unlike classical superconducting interferometers produces an absolute rather than relative measurement of gravity. In addition, our scheme takes measurements at similar to 10 kHz, a region where the ambient vibrational noise spectrum is heavily suppressed compared the similar to 10 Hz region relevant for current cold atom gravimeters.

• 出版日期2016-11-21