Chip-scale superconducting quantum gravimeter combining a SQUID, a transmon, and a nanomechanical resonator

Abstract

Precise gravitational measurements are vital for geophysics and inertial navigation, but compact gravimeters with high measurement bandwidth remain difficult to realize. We propose and analyze a chip-scale superconducting gravimeter in which a flux-tunable transmon qubit is coupled to a high quality factor ($Q_m$) nanomechanical beam. The beam is embedded in a SQUID loop placed in parallel with the qubit's flux-tunable SQUID; gravity induced beam displacement therefore modulates the qubit frequency through the SQUID flux and is mapped onto the qubit's geometric phase. A stroboscopic readout at mechanical revival times suppresses qubit mechanics dephasing, yielding a projected sensitivity of $10^2$--$10^3\mathrm{nGal}/\sqrt{\mathrm{Hz}}$ with sub-millisecond interrogation times. Electrical \emph{in situ} tunability and microwave-based calibration make this architecture a practical route toward compact, high-bandwidth on-chip gravimetry.

16figs