Energy measurements and preparation of canonical phase states of a nano-mechanical resonator

¹  Department of Physics, University of Massachusetts at Boston - 100 Morrissey Blvd, Boston, MA 02125, USA
²  Quantum Science and Technologies Group, Hearne Institute for Theoretical Physics, Louisiana State University 202 Nicholson Hall, Tower Drive, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA
³  Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Rochester - Rochester, NY 14627, USA
⁴  School of Mathematics and Physics, Queens University Belfast - Belfast, BT7 1NN, UK, EU

Corresponding author: kurt.jacobs@umb.edu

Received: 17 September 2007
Accepted: 15 February 2008

Abstract

We show that a continuous quantum non-demolition measurement of the energy of a nanomechanical resonator can be achieved by monitoring the resonator with a single-electron transistor, or a quantum point contact, via a Cooper-pair box. This technique can further be used to prepare highly entangled states of two resonators, such as canonical phase reference states, and so-called noon states.