Home > Press > Theoretical Physicists at Freie Universität Berlin Develop New Insights into Interface between Classical and Quantum Worlds
Abstract:
Scientists at Freie Universität Berlin in the group of physics professor Jens Eisert developed a novel method for gaining insight into the complex behavior of mechanical systems at the micro and nano scale. These systems are located at the interface of the physical worlds that, on the one hand, are described by classical mechanics, and on the other, by quantum theory, i.e., the theory of the behavior of atoms, molecules, and modes of light. Eisert's group, together with scientists from the University of Vienna in Markus Aspelmeyer's group, succeeded in establishing a new window into this interface. The subtle transition between the classical and the quantum mechanical worlds can be better understood by observing the dynamics of a small mechanical oscillating system. The scientific paper entitled "Observation of non-Markovian micro-mechanical Brownian motion" was published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications.
In the world known from everyday experience, mechanical systems have in principle perfectly known properties. For example, they are obviously always located at some fixed location at a given time. In the world of quantum mechanics, i.e., the world of individual atoms and molecules, objects must by no means be in only one place at a given time. To a certain extent, they can be in several places simultaneously, by being in certain superposition states. Since the 1980s, researchers have been investigating this seemingly paradoxical observation: They are trying to understand the exact transition between the classical world and quantum mechanics. After all, macroscopic mechanical systems also consist of atoms - which means that the laws of physics that apply on a small scale must also apply on the large scale and hence macroscopic objects. That is why it is very amazing that the two physical theories describe nature in such radically different ways.
It is now known that it is again the quantum properties are essentially responsible for the apparently classical behavior of objects in the physical world. However, in a way the interactions between macroscopic systems and their environment are so strong that the subtle quantum properties are less noticeable in the macroscopic system as such. The precise mechanism leading to this decoherence, as it is called, it not in all detail adequately investigated and illustrated until know.
In their research project, the scientists at Freie Universität Berlin and the University of Vienna developed a setting that allows for fresh insights into the interface of the two worlds that describe nature in such different ways. They experimentally observed the light emitted from a cavity one mirror of which constituted a very small mechanical oscillating object. By statistically analyzing this emitted light, they were able to draw profound conclusions about the precise interactions responsible for the emergence of effectively classical properties. The first research results are surprising: The physicists encountered amazing memory effects in the mechanical motion and hence the mirrors can not simply be described as damped mechanical motion, as is usually done. These intricate memory effects lead to highly unorthodox ways of decoherence - yet again leading to classical behavior.
Going a step further, the new knowledge the researchers gained about the dynamics of mechanical systems can be used in the quantum technologies, for example in metrology, which is the science of accurate measurement, here using quantum effects and very small devices. This only works, needless to say, if the dynamics are understood precisely. The findings published in the prestigious journal Nature Communications are a significant contribution in this direction.
The research project was sponsored by several EU programs (RAQUEL, SIQS, AQuS, MNOS, ITNcQOM, IQOEMS, Marie Curie) as well as the European Research Council (TAQ), the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the Austrian Science Fund, and the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
####
About Freie Universitaet Berlin
Freie Universitaet Berlin is a leading research institution in Germany. It is one of nine German universities that met with success in all three funding lines in the federal and state Excellence Initiative. Freie Universitaet Berlin is a full university with 15 departments and central instituts offering over 100 programs in all subject areas. Students: 34000, Professors (Full-time) and Junior Professors: 462, Graduate Schools: 16.
For more information, please click here
Contacts:
Prof. Dr. Jens Eisert
Department of Physics
Freie Universität Berlin
Tel.: +49 30 838-54781
Caroline Rued-Engel
49 (0)30 838 73195
Copyright © AlphaGalileo
If you have a comment, please Contact us.Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.
Related Links |
Related News Press |
News and information
Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024
Physics
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024
Scientists use heat to create transformations between skyrmions and antiskyrmions January 12th, 2024
Focused ion beam technology: A single tool for a wide range of applications January 12th, 2024
Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy
What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024
Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024
Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024
Discoveries
What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024
Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024
High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
Announcements
What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
Interviews/Book Reviews/Essays/Reports/Podcasts/Journals/White papers/Posters
Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024
Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024
Quantum nanoscience
Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024
Bridging light and electrons January 12th, 2024
'Sudden death' of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity: Study challenges the conventional wisdom of superconducting quantum transitions January 12th, 2024
The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
Premium Products | ||
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||