On the limitations of a measurement-assisted optomechanical route to quantum macroscopicity of superposition states

Abstract

Optomechanics is currently believed to provide a promising route towards the achievement of genuine quantum effects at the large, massive-system scale. By using a recently proposed figure of merit that is well suited to address continuous-variable systems, in this paper we analyze the requirements needed for the state of a mechanical mode (embodied by an end-cavity cantilever or a membrane placed within an optical cavity) to be qualified as macroscopic. We show that, according to the phase space-based criterion that we have chosen for our quantitative analysis, the state achieved through strong single-photon radiation-pressure coupling to a quantized field of light and conditioned by measurements operated on the latter might be interpreted as macroscopically quantum. In general, though, genuine macroscopic quantum superpositions appear to be possible only under quite demanding experimental conditions.

7 pages, 4 figures, RevTeX4-1; accepted for publication in Phys Rev A

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Single-photon cavity optomechanics mediated by a quantum two-level system
• Macroscopic quantum states: measures, fragility and implementations
• Measurement-induced macroscopic superposition states in cavity optomechanics
• All macroscopic quantum states are fragile and hard to prepare
• Macroscopic quantumness of optically conditioned mechanical systems