Observation of Radiation Pressure Shot Noise on a Macroscopic Object

• Autores: T. P. Purdy, R. W. Peterson
• Localización: Science, ISSN 0036-8075, Vol. 339, Nº 6121, 2013, págs. 802-804
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • The quantum mechanics of position measurement of a macroscopic object is typically inaccessible because of strong coupling to the environment and classical noise. In this work, we monitor a mechanical resonator subject to an increasingly strong continuous position measurement and observe a quantum mechanical back-action force that rises in accordance with the Heisenberg uncertainty limit. For our optically based position measurements, the back-action takes the form of a fluctuating radiation pressure from the Poisson-distributed photons in the coherent measurement field, termed radiation pressure shot noise. We demonstrate a back-action force that is comparable in magnitude to the thermal forces in our system. Additionally, we observe a temporal correlation between fluctuations in the radiation force and in the position of the resonator.