In this project we will theoretically analyze various opto- and nanomechanical systems in the
regime of strong interactions on a single photon or phonon level. The general goals of this
project are on one hand to identify and describe new physical effects which will be observable
in such systems, but on the other hand also to discuss a set of specific applications
which rely on the quantum nature of the mechanical degree of freedom. More specifically
we will concentrate in this project on NMRs coupled to nitrogen vacancy (NV) centers in
diamond and on opto-mechanical systems (OMS) in the single photon strong coupling
regime. The first topic is motivated by upcoming experiments with NV centers implanted in
diamond nanostructures or coupled magnetically to a vibrating magnetic tip.
These experiments will create a direct link between the field of nanomechanics and diamond
based quantum information processing [24] and nano-scale sensing applications.
Therefore, for this part of the project our focus will also be placed mainly on potential applications
for mechanical systems in those two fields. The second topic is motivated by cold
atom experiments where already today OM interactions in the strong coupling regime can
be experimentally realized. Here we will be mainly interested in the fundamental
physical properties of OMS under strong coupling conditions and we will also study different
few and many-body generalizations of OMS. In brief the key objectives of this project are:
• To model the phonon mediated interactions between NV centers embedded in diamond
nanostructures and to identify potential applications for diamond based quantum information
processing.
• To derive quantum mechanical models for NV center based sensors for mechanical
motion and to use those models to investigate the potential role of quantum control
techniques for the improvement of nano-scale sensing techniques.
• To obtain a detailed qualitative and quantitative understanding of OM systems with
strong interactions on a single quantum level.
• To analyze the dynamics of few and many body generalizations of OM systems and to
establish a connection between the field of OM and different areas of condensed matter
physics.