@article {3408, title = {A general approach to backaction-evading receivers with magnetomechanical and electromechanical sensors}, year = {2023}, month = {11/16/2023}, abstract = {

Today\&$\#$39;s mechanical sensors are capable of detecting extremely weak perturbations while operating near the standard quantum limit. However, further improvements can be made in both sensitivity and bandwidth when we reduce the noise originating from the process of measurement itself -- the quantum-mechanical backaction of measurement -- and go below this \&$\#$39;standard\&$\#$39; limit, possibly approaching the Heisenberg limit. One of the ways to eliminate this noise is by measuring a quantum nondemolition variable such as the momentum in a free-particle system. Here, we propose and characterize theoretical models for direct velocity measurement that utilize traditional electric and magnetic transducer designs to generate a signal while enabling this backaction evasion. We consider the general readout of this signal via electric or magnetic field sensing by creating toy models analogous to the standard optomechanical position-sensing problem, thereby facilitating the assessment of measurement-added noise. Using simple models that characterize a wide range of transducers, we find that the choice of readout scheme -- voltage or current -- for each mechanical detector configuration implies access to either the position or velocity of the mechanical sub-system. This in turn suggests a path forward for key fundamental physics experiments such as the direct detection of dark matter particles.

}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2311.09587}, author = {Brittany Richman and Sohitri Ghosh and Daniel Carney and Gerard Higgins and Peter Shawhan and C. J. Lobb and Jacob M. Taylor} } @article {2581, title = {Back-action evading impulse measurement with mechanical quantum sensors}, journal = {Phys. Rev. A}, volume = {102}, year = {2020}, month = {8/28/2020}, type = {FERMILAB-PUB-19-537-T}, abstract = {

The quantum measurement of any observable naturally leads to noise added by the act of measurement. Approaches to evade or reduce this noise can lead to substantial improvements in a wide variety of sensors, from laser interferometers to precision magnetometers and more. In this paper, we develop a measurement protocol based upon pioneering work by the gravitational wave community which allows for reduction of added noise from measurement by coupling an optical field to the momentum of a small mirror. As a specific implementation, we present a continuous measurement protocol using a double-ring optomechanical cavity. We demonstrate that with experimentally-relevant parameters, this protocol can lead to significant back-action noise evasion, yielding measurement noise below the standard quantum limit over many decades of frequency.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.102.023525}, url = {https://arxiv.org/pdf/1910.11892.pdf}, author = {Sohitri Ghosh and Daniel Carney and Peter Shawhan and J. M. Taylor} } @article {2375, title = {Gravitational Direct Detection of Dark Matter}, journal = {Phys. Rev. D}, volume = {102}, year = {2020}, month = {10/13/2020}, type = {FERMILAB-PUB-19-082-AE-T}, abstract = {

The only coupling dark matter is guaranteed to have with the standard model is through gravity. Here we propose a concept for direct dark matter detection using only this gravitational coupling, enabling a new regime of detection. Leveraging dramatic advances in the ability to create, maintain, and probe quantum states of massive objects, we suggest that an array of quantum-limited impulse sensors may be capable of detecting the correlated gravitational force created by a passing dark matter particle. We present two concrete realizations of this scheme, using either mechanical resonators or freely-falling masses. With currently available technology, a meter-scale apparatus of this type could detect any dark matter candidate around the Planck mass or heavier.

}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.102.072003}, url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/1903.00492}, author = {Daniel Carney and Sohitri Ghosh and Gordan Krnjaic and J. M. Taylor} }