8 research outputs found
Macroscopic quantum resonators (MAQRO)
Quantum physics challenges our understanding of the nature of physical
reality and of space-time and suggests the necessity of radical revisions of
their underlying concepts. Experimental tests of quantum phenomena involving
massive macroscopic objects would provide novel insights into these fundamental
questions. Making use of the unique environment provided by space, MAQRO aims
at investigating this largely unexplored realm of macroscopic quantum physics.
MAQRO has originally been proposed as a medium-sized fundamental-science space
mission for the 2010 call of Cosmic Vision. MAQRO unites two experiments:
DECIDE (DECoherence In Double-Slit Experiments) and CASE (Comparative
Acceleration Sensing Experiment). The main scientific objective of MAQRO, which
is addressed by the experiment DECIDE, is to test the predictions of quantum
theory for quantum superpositions of macroscopic objects containing more than
10e8 atoms. Under these conditions, deviations due to various suggested
alternative models to quantum theory would become visible. These models have
been suggested to harmonize the paradoxical quantum phenomena both with the
classical macroscopic world and with our notion of Minkowski space-time. The
second scientific objective of MAQRO, which is addressed by the experiment
CASE, is to demonstrate the performance of a novel type of inertial sensor
based on optically trapped microspheres. CASE is a technology demonstrator that
shows how the modular design of DECIDE allows to easily incorporate it with
other missions that have compatible requirements in terms of spacecraft and
orbit. CASE can, at the same time, serve as a test bench for the weak
equivalence principle, i.e., the universality of free fall with test-masses
differing in their mass by 7 orders of magnitude.Comment: Proposal for a medium-sized space mission, 28 pages, 9 figures - in
v2, we corrected some minor mistakes and replaced fig. 9 with a
higher-resolution version; Experimental Astronomy, March 2012, Online, Open
Acces
Theory of the Energy Levels and Precise Two-Photon Spectroscopy of Atomic Hydrogen and Deuterium
Comparing floral nectar and aphid honeydew diets on the longevity and nutrient levels of a parasitoid wasp
Quantized Field Effects
quantized field effects The electromagnetic field appears almost everywhere in physics. Following the introduction of Maxwell\u27s equations in 1864, Max Planck initiated quantum theory when he discovered h = 2πℏ in the laws of black-body radiation. In 1905 Albert Einstein explained the photoelectric effect on the hypothesis of a corpuscular nature of radiation and in 1917 this paradigm led to a description of the interaction between atoms and electromagnetic radiation. The study of quantized field effects requires an understanding of the quantization of the field which leads to the concept of a quantum of radiation, the photon. Specific nonclassical features arise when the field is prepared in particular quantum states, such as squeezed states. When the radiation field interacts with an atom, there is an important difference between a classical field and a quantized field. A classical field can have zero amplitude, in which case it does not interact with the atom. On the other hand a quantized field always interacts with the atom, even if all the field modes are in their ground states, due to vacuum fluctuations. These lead to various effects such as spontaneous emission and the Lamb shift. The interaction of an atom with the many modes of the radiation field can conveniently be described in an approximate manner by a master equation where the radiation field is treated as a reservoir. Such a treatment gives a microscopic and quantum mechanically consistent description of damping