Nanomechanical measurements of a superconducting qubit

Nanomechanical vibrations Fabricating tiny mechanical structures whose vibrational motion is purely quantum mechanical is a long-standing goal in physics, both from a fundamental perspective and in view of the applications that they could potentially enable. A parallel — and equally important — goal is the development of a scheme for observing and controlling such tiny motions. LaHaye et al. have made important progress in this direction by coupling a tiny mechanical resonator to a superconducting two-level quantum system (qubit). The state of the superconducting qubit can be measured through its influence on the vibrations of the resonator. Such a coupled device configuration should ultimately enable the preparation and measurement of exotic quantum states of motion.