No Arabic abstract
Measurement-induced back action, a direct consequence of the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle, is the defining feature of quantum measurements. We use quantum measurement theory to analyze the recent experiment of Safavi-Naeini et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. {bf 108}, 033602 (2012)], and show that results of this experiment not only characterize the zero-point fluctuation of a near-ground-state nanomechanical oscillator, but also demonstrate the existence of quantum back-action noise --- through correlations that exist between sensing noise and back-action noise. These correlations arise from the quantum coherence between the mechanical oscillator and the measuring device, which build up during the measurement process, and are key to improving sensitivities beyond the Standard Quantum Limit.
The quantum measurement of any observable naturally leads to noise added by the act of measurement. Approaches to evade or reduce this noise can lead to substantial improvements in a wide variety of sensors, from laser interferometers to precision magnetometers and more. In this paper, we develop a measurement protocol based upon pioneering work by the gravitational wave community which allows for reduction of added noise from measurement by coupling an optical field to the momentum of a small mirror. As a specific implementation, we present a continuous measurement protocol using a double-ring optomechanical cavity. We demonstrate that with experimentally-relevant parameters, this protocol can lead to significant back-action noise evasion, yielding measurement noise below the standard quantum limit over many decades of frequency.
When an observable is measured on an evolving coherent quantum system twice, the first measurement generally alters the statistics of the second one, which is known as measurement back-action. We introduce, and push to its theoretical and experimental limits, a novel method of back-action evasion, whereby entangled collective measurements are performed on several copies of the system. This method is inspired by a similar idea designed for the problem of measuring quantum work [Perarnau-Llobet textit{et al}., (https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.118.070601) Phys. Rev. Lett. textbf{118}, 070601 (2017)]. By utilizing entanglement as a resource, we show that the back-action can be extremely suppressed compared to all previous schemes. Importantly, the back-action can be eliminated in highly coherent processes.
The standard quantum limit constrains the precision of an oscillator position measurement. It arises from a balance between the imprecision and the quantum back-action of the measurement. However, a measurement of only a single quadrature of the oscillator can evade the back-action and be made with arbitrary precision. Here we demonstrate quantum back-action evading measurements of a collective quadrature of two mechanical oscillators, both coupled to a common microwave cavity. The work allows for quantum state tomography of two mechanical oscillators, and provides a foundation for macroscopic mechanical entanglement and force sensing beyond conventional quantum limits.
Quantum mechanics postulates that measuring the qubits wave function results in its collapse, with the recorded discrete outcome designating the particular eigenstate that the qubit collapsed into. We show that this picture breaks down when the qubit is strongly driven during measurement. More specifically, for a fast evolving qubit the measurement returns the time-averaged expectation value of the measurement operator, erasing information about the initial state of the qubit, while completely suppressing the measurement back-action. We call this regime `quantum rifling, as the fast spinning of the Bloch vector protects it from deflection into either of its eigenstates. We study this phenomenon with two superconducting qubits coupled to the same probe field and demonstrate that quantum rifling allows us to measure either one of the qubits on demand while protecting the state of the other from measurement back-action. Our results allow for the implementation of selective read out multiplexing of several qubits, contributing to the efficient scaling up of quantum processors for future quantum technologies.
Quantum mechanics dictates that a continuous measurement of the position of an object imposes a random back action perturbation on its momentum. This randomness translates with time into position uncertainty, thus leading to the well known uncertainty on the measurement of motion. Here we demonstrate that the quantum back action on a macroscopic mechanical oscillator measured in the reference frame of an atomic spin oscillator can be evaded. The collective quantum measurement on this novel hybrid system of two distant and disparate oscillators is performed with light. The mechanical oscillator is a drum mode of a millimeter size dielectric membrane and the spin oscillator is an atomic ensemble in a magnetic field. The spin oriented along the field corresponds to an energetically inverted spin population and realizes an effective negative mass oscillator, while the opposite orientation corresponds to a positive mass oscillator. The quantum back action is evaded in the negative mass setting and is enhanced in the positive mass case. The hybrid quantum system presented here paves the road to entanglement generation and distant quantum communication between mechanical and spin systems and to sensing of force, motion and gravity beyond the standard quantum limit.