Quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales (Prof. M. Kasevich)
- Datum: 07.12.2015
- Uhrzeit: 14:30 - 16:00
- Vortragende(r): Prof. Dr. Mark Kasevich, Department of Physics, Stanford University, USA
- Raum: Herbert Walther Lecture Hall
- Gastgeber: MPQ
Quantum mechanics is a foundation of physics, chemistry and materials science. Still, there is an ongoing debate about the emergence of the classical, macroscopic world from the well-understood microscopic world of quantum mechanics.
We contribute to this discourse by demonstrating quantum superposition
of massive particles at the distance (0.5 m) and time scales (2 s) of
everyday life, thereby advancing the state-of-the-art of atom de Broglie
wave interferometry by nearly two orders of magnitude. In addition to
testing a central tenet of quantum mechanics, we pave the way for new
precision tests of gravity, including the possible observation of
gravitational waves and tests of the equivalence principle. In related
experimental work, we demonstrate that entangled clusters of
approximately 1000 atoms can be used to achieve 20 dB improvement beyond
the standard quantum limit in the sensitivity of quantum sensors based
on atomic clock transitions.