Realization of Macroscopic Entanglement with Optically Levitated Mirrors

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K13542
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Challenging Exploratory Research
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Atomic/Molecular/Quantum electronics
• Research Institution: The University of Tokyo
• Principal Investigator: Michimura Yuta 東京大学, 大学院理学系研究科(理学部), 助教 (80747006)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 光学浮上 / 光輻射圧 / 光共振器 / 量子力学 / 巨視的量子力学 / エンタングルメント / 量子非破壊計測 / レーザー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

We proposed a new method to optically levitate a mirror with two vertical Fabry-Perot cavities linearly aligned. With this configuration, we showed that both stable levitation and reaching the standard quantum limit of a milligram scale mirror are experimentally feasible with current technology. We also worked on the proof of principle experiment with a torsion pendulum to demonstrate the stability of our new configuration.
If we can realize the optical levitation with the proposed setup, we can realize a quantum entanglement between the positions of two macroscopic mirrors much heavier than the Planck mass. Our research paves the way to experimentally answer the fundamental question of the validity of quantum mechanics in macroscopic scales.

Free Research Field

重力・相対論実験