quantum Squeezing Demonstrated inโ Nanoscale Particle Motion,Bridgingโ Quantum and Classical realms
Researchers โขatโฃ the Universityโ of Tokyo have โachieved a notable breakthrough in quantum mechanics: the first demonstration of quantum squeezing in the motion of a nanoscale particle. This achievement offers a new platform toโค explore the boundaries where quantum laws transition into the classicalโ world and holdsโ potential for revolutionary advancements in โฃsensor technology.
Even at its lowest possible energy state, a particle isn’t truly still, experiencing inherentโ “zero-point fluctuations.” Quantum squeezing is โฃa โขtechnique that reducesโค this inherent uncertainty, creating aโ quantum state โmore focused than typically allowed by nature. The โคTokyo team extended this concept to a glass particle โat the nanoscale, opening new avenues for โresearch.
“Although quantum mechanics has been successful with microscopicโ particles, such as photons and atoms, it hasโ not been explored to โwhat extent quantum mechanics is correct at macroscopic scales,” explainsโค principal โinvestigator Kiyotaka Aikawa. The team sought an โขobject large enough to โtest the limits of quantum mechanics’ applicability.
They levitated a nanoscaleโฃ glass particle in a vacuumโค and โคcooled it toโฃ near โits lowest possibleโฃ energy level. By carefully controlling the particle’s trap andโ briefly releasing โขit, they were able to measure its velocityโ distribution. The crucial finding โขcame when the researchers observed a velocity โฃdistribution narrower than the uncertainty predicted for the โparticle’s ground state -โค a clear indicationโข of quantum squeezing.
Theโฃ experiment wasn’t without its โchallenges. Levitated particlesโ are inherently unstable,โฃ and environmentalโ noise presented significant hurdles.โฃ “When we foundโข a condition that couldโค be reliably reproduced,” says Aikawa, “we were surprisedโ how sensitiveโข the levitated nanoscale particle wasโฃ to the fluctuations of its environment.” years of dedicated work were required to overcome these obstacles.
This โdelicate balance, however, is what โฃmakes the platform so valuable.โค A levitated nanoscale particle โin a vacuum providesโ an isolated system for studying the transition between classical and quantum mechanics and servesโ as a potential testbed for developing new quantumโข devices.
The implications extend beyond essential science.Ultra-sensitive quantum sensors, โbuilt on this principle, could revolutionize navigation byโ offering accuracy autonomous of satellite signals. Potential applications โฃalso span diverse fields including medicine,geology,and communications.
The team’s findings have been โฃpublished in the journal Science. This research representsโ a significant โstep towards understanding the interplay between the quantum and classicalโข worldsโ and paves the way for future innovations in quantum technology.