IQOS · Integrated Quantum Optomechanical Systems (IQOS)

Microstructures of high mechanical and optical quality are promising contenders in the race to achieve the first demonstration of quantum optical control of a “macroscopic” mechanical system. The ultimate goal in this emerging field of quantum optomechanics is to combine the concepts of cavity quantum optics with radiation pressure coupling to generate and detect quantum effects of massive mechanical systems, including the quantum ground state or even entangled quantum states of mechanical devices. In this proposal we seek to merge expertise in microfabricated optical systems developed by Dr. Garrett Cole with the foundational research in Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Optics enabled at the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Vienna in order to develop arrays of integrated quantum optomechanical systems on a chip. This work will not only pave the way for new and exciting discoveries in fundamental physics, but will simultaneously push the limits of current engineering capabilities in the areas of micro-optics and micromechanical systems.