Researchers observe first real-time quantum jump in sound

Applied Physics Professor Amir Safavi-Naeini and collaborators, including AP Professor David Schuster, have documented the first direct observation of quantum jumps of sound in a mechanical resonator, completing an arc of scientific exploration that started over a hundred years ago.

Quantum jumps – sudden transitions from one energy state to another – have been theorized since the early 1900s. Scientists first demonstrated these jumps in trapped ions in 1986 and later in photons in 2007. Observing quantum jumps of sound had remained elusive until a team led by Prof. Safavi-Naeini succeeded in recording these phenomena, publishing the findings in the journal Science.

Learn more about the groundbreaking work here in the Stanford Report.