A groundbreaking quantum cooling protocol demonstrates how a macroscopic oscillator can mediate between a single-probe spin and a spin ensemble, achieving ground-state cooling through weak dispersive coupling and measurement feedback, with promising applications in quantum technology and remote sensing.
It’s easy to control the trajectory of a basketball: all we have to do is apply mechanical force coupled with human skill. But controlling the movement of quantum systems such as atoms and electrons is much more challenging, as these minuscule scraps of matter often fall prey to perturbations that knock them off their path in unpredictable ways. Movement within the system degrades — a process called damping — and noise from environmental effects such as temperature also disturbs its trajectory.