Quantum-Opto-Mechanics: Quantum foundations and quantum information on the nano- and microscale
Dr. Markus Aspelmeyer (Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften)

Quantum states of mechanical resonators promise access to a whole range of new experimental regimes: from unprecedented levels of force sensitivity to the generation of macroscopic quantum superpositions of massive objects containing up to 10^20 atoms. With the advent of micro- and nanomechanical systems a broad range of interdisciplinary approaches has emerged during the last years to tackle these challenges. Quantum optics provides a unique toolbox to enter and control the quantum regime of mechanical systems. I will briefly review the current status in the field and report our latest progress on laser cooling micromechanical resonators towards their quantum ground state. I will also discuss the prospect of generating optomechanical quantum entanglement, which is at the heart of Schrödinger's cat paradox, and the possibility of mechanical quantum transducers as a new technology for quantum information processing.