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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 22, 2026

Quantum State Engineering of Light with Continuous-wave Optical Parametric Oscillators

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Published on: May 30, 2014

Observation of Quantum Interference between Separated Mechanical Oscillator Wave Packets.

D Kienzler¹, C Flühmann¹, V Negnevitsky¹

¹Institute for Quantum Electronics, ETH Zürich, Otto-Stern-Weg 1, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.

Physical Review Letters

|April 23, 2016

Summary

Researchers directly observed quantum interference between two separated trapped-ion mechanical oscillator wave packets. This quantum phenomenon was achieved using a heralded measurement on an entangled state, confirming wave packet superposition.

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Area of Science:

Quantum mechanics
Atomic physics
Quantum optics

Background:

Quantum interference is a fundamental phenomenon demonstrating wave-particle duality.
Trapped ions serve as highly controllable quantum systems for studying quantum dynamics.
Superposition states are crucial for quantum information processing and fundamental tests of quantum mechanics.

Purpose of the Study:

To directly observe quantum interference between two spatially separated wave packets of a trapped-ion mechanical oscillator.
To demonstrate the creation and measurement of a superposition state of mechanical motion in a trapped ion.
To reconstruct the Wigner function of these complex quantum states.

Main Methods:

Generating a spin-motion entangled state in a trapped ion.
Utilizing a heralded measurement to create a superposition of two well-separated wave packets.
Measuring energy eigenstate populations to observe interference.
Employing probe Hamiltonians for displaced and squeezed basis measurements.
Performing squeezed-basis measurements with 8 dB squeezing.

Main Results:

Direct observation of quantum interference between two distinct wave packets.
Successful reconstruction of the Wigner function for the superposed state.
Interference measurement achieved for a wave packet separation of Δα=15.6 (240 nm).

Conclusions:

The study provides direct evidence of quantum interference in a mesoscopic mechanical system.
The methods developed allow for detailed characterization of quantum states in trapped ions.
This work opens avenues for exploring quantum phenomena in larger, more complex systems.