Observation of Quantum Motion of a Nanomechanical Resonator

Amir H. Safavi‐Naeini(California Institute of Technology), Jasper Fuk‐Woo Chan(California Institute of Technology), Jeff T. Hill(California Institute of Technology), Thiago P. Mayer Alegre(California Institute of Technology), Alex Krause(California Institute of Technology), Oskar Painter(California Institute of Technology)
Physical Review Letters
January 17, 2012
Cited by 393Open Access
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Abstract

In this Letter we use resolved sideband laser cooling to cool a mesoscopic mechanical resonator to near its quantum ground state (phonon occupancy 2.6±0.2), and observe the motional sidebands generated on a second probe laser. Asymmetry in the sideband amplitudes provides a direct measure of the displacement noise power associated with quantum zero-point fluctuations of the nanomechanical resonator, and allows for an intrinsic calibration of the phonon occupation number.


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