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Preparation and Detection of an RF Mechanical Resonator Near the Ground State of Motion

Keith Schwab, Caltech

(Session 4 : Friday from 3:30-4:15)

Abstract. The tools and techniques to prepare mechanical structures in fundamental quantum states are being rapidly developed, using both optical and electrical techniques. To prepare the quantum ground state, we are preforming experiments with a mechanical resonator parametrically coupled to a electrical resonator. The mechanical resonator is a very low dissipation (Q>1M), 6 MHz, nanomechanical structure; the electrical resonator is a lithographic, low dissipation (Q=20,000), superconducting niobium, 7.5 GHz resonator. We pump this structure with carefully prepared microwave photons and demonstrate cooling of the mechanical structure of quantum occupation =3.8. The deep quantum limit, <<1, appears within reach with a modified device.