arXiv · 1504.00790
Probing wave function collapse models with a classically driven mechanical oscillator
Abstract
We show that the interaction of a pulsed laser light with a mechanical oscillator through the radiation pressure results in an opto-mechanical entangled state in which the photon number is correlated with the oscillator position. Interestingly, the mechanical oscillator can be delocalized over a large range of positions when driven by an intense laser light. This provides a simple yet sensitive method to probe hypothetic post-quantum theories including an explicit wave function collapse model, like the Diosi and Penrose model. We propose an entanglement witness to reveal the quantum nature of this opto-mechanical state as well as an optical technique to record the decoherence of the mechanical oscillator. We also report on a detailed feasibility study giving the experimental challenges that need to be overcome to confirm or rule out predictions from explicit wave function collapse models.
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Melvyn Ho, Ambroise Lafont, Nicolas Sangouard, Pavel Sekatski. 2016-03-17. Probing wave function collapse models with a classically driven mechanical oscillator. https://doi.org/10.1088/1367-2630%2F18%2F3%2F033025
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