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SUMMARY:Quantum Optomechanics: from Schrödinger’s Mirror to Quantum Sou
 rces of Gravity
DTSTART:20260326T141500Z
DTEND:20260326T151500Z
DTSTAMP:20260410T124400Z
UID:indico-event-9378@indico.fysik.su.se
DESCRIPTION:Speakers: Markus Aspelmayer\n\nIn 1926\, right after writing h
 is famous wave equation\, Schrödinger introduces the concept of coherent 
 states to resolve the outstanding puzzle how to correctly describe the qua
 ntum dynamics of a mechanical harmonic oscillator. Today\, 100 years later
 \, mechanical quantum systems are an experimental reality in laboratories 
 all over the world - enabled by the development of quantum optomechanics\,
  a new paradigm for light-matter interaction that allows quantum optical c
 ontrol of solid-state mechanical objects (Curiously\, one of the first ide
 as along this line already appeared in a letter from Schrödinger to Somme
 rfeld in 1931). Devices currently being studied cover a mass range of more
  than 17 orders of magnitude - from nanomechanical waveguides of some pico
 grams to macroscopic\, kilogram-weight mirrors of gravitational wave detec
 tors. The fast progress in controlling ever increasing masses in the quant
 um regime creates new and unexpected opportunities to address one of the o
 utstanding questions at the interface between quantum physics and gravity\
 , namely “does gravity require a quantum description?”. Concretely\, q
 uantum optomechanics enables experiments that directly probe the phenomeno
 logy of quantum states of gravitational source masses. This can lead to ex
 perimental outcomes that are inconsistent with the predictions of a purely
  classical field theory of gravity. Such 'Quantum Cavendish' experiments w
 ill rely on delocalized motional quantum states of sufficiently massive ob
 jects and gravity experiments on the micrometer scale. I review the curren
 t status in the lab and the challenges to be overcome for future experimen
 ts.\n\nhttps://indico.fysik.su.se/event/9378/
LOCATION:Oskar Klein auditorium (AlbaNova Main Building)
URL:https://indico.fysik.su.se/event/9378/
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