Using macroscopic quantum systems as detectors (Prof. Swati Singh)

  • Date: Jun 20, 2018
  • Time: 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM (Local Time Germany)
  • Speaker: Prof. Swati Singh
  • Department of Physics, Williams College, Williamstown, Masschusetts, USA, visiting MPQ from 18.06.2018 to 21.06.2018
  • Location: Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik
  • Room: New Lecture Hall, Room B 0.32
  • Host: MPQ, Theory Division
When properly engineered, simple quantum systems such as harmonic oscillators or spins can be excellent detectors of feeble forces and fields.

Following a general introduction to this fast growing area of research I will focus on two simple and experimentally realizable examples: a nitrogen vacancy (NV) center in diamond interacting with its many-body environment, and acoustic modes of superfluid helium interacting with gravitational waves.

In the first case, I will demonstrate within a semi-classical description that it is possible to understand (and even control) the quantum many-body environment of the of the NV center, thereby enabling several magnetometry applications. In the second example I will show that for reasonable experimental parameters, a hybrid quantum system consisting of superfluid helium coupled to superconducting cavity could enable the detection of gravitational waves from nearby pulsars.

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