Quantum Mechanical testbed

Many sensors in modern technology are based on mechanical oscillators, as these can be highly susceptible to a wide range of signals of interest, such as pressure, temperature, charge, nanoparticle mass, force, and acceleration in navigation systems, to name a few.

Ultra-coherent mechanical systems combined with quantum-limited measurement and control techniques are currently pushing the boundaries of sensing performance. The KAT-3 Mechanical Sensor Testbed enables benchmarking state-of-art sensing technologies and novel mechanical sensing platforms under various conditions and in challenging environments.

The goal of this testbed is to create a facility for testing mechanical quantum sensors, and bringing together stakeholders from academia, industry and government. The testbed targets different application domains that include navigation, security, process control, and (personalized) medicine. The testbed will function as a service oriented facility, enabling benchmarking of new sensors, as well as engaging in proof-of-concept sensor development. The facility will provide:

• Identifying new applications for quantum-limited and quantum-enabled mechanical sensors

• Benchmarking of different mechanical sensing technologies against state of art

• Realizing various sensing modalities and simulated conditions