Schwab Device Science

Because quantum motion, or noise, is theoretically an intrinsic part of the motion of all objects, Schwab and his colleagues designed a device that would allow them to observe this noise and then manipulate it. The micrometer-scale device consists of a flexible aluminum plate that sits atop a silicon substrate.
Credit: Chan Lei and Keith Schwab/Caltech

Members of Keith Schwab’s group demonstrate observations of quantum motion in a recent Science publication. “We all know quantum mechanics explains precisely why electrons behave weirdly. Here, we’re applying quantum physics to something that is relatively big, a device that you can see under an optical microscope, and we’re seeing the quantum effects in a trillion atoms instead of just one.” Read more of the interview with Keith Schwab in the Caltech media story.