Measurement-induced macroscopic superposition states in cavity optomechanics

TL;DR

This paper proposes a method to generate macroscopic quantum superpositions in mechanical oscillators using pulsed optomechanical interactions and measurement feedback, compatible with current devices and avoiding strong coupling requirements.

Contribution

It introduces a pulsed QND interaction scheme with measurement feedback for macroscopic superposition generation in optomechanics, achievable with existing technology.

Findings

Demonstrates a feasible protocol for superposition creation in bulk mechanical oscillators.

Shows that single-quadrature cooling suffices for state preparation.

Outlines a three-pulse protocol for squeezing, cooling, and tomography.

Abstract

We present a novel proposal for generating quantum superpositions of macroscopically distinct states of a bulk mechanical oscillator, compatible with existing optomechanical devices operating in the readily achievable bad-cavity limit. The scheme is based on a pulsed cavity optomechanical quantum non-demolition (QND) interaction, driven by displaced non-Gaussian states, and measurement-induced feedback, avoiding the need for strong single-photon optomechanical coupling. Furthermore, we show that single-quadrature cooling of the mechanical oscillator is sufficient for efficient state preparation, and we outline a three-pulse protocol comprising a sequence of QND interactions for squeezing-enhanced cooling, state preparation, and tomography.