Quantum signal processing with mechanical oscillators

<p>This thesis experimentally demonstrates how macroscopic mechanical oscillators can be used\&nbsp;<span style="line-height: 1.6em;">to process and manipulate electromagnetic signals, i.e. light. Light shined upon an object can\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">cause it to move or, as in the case of a mechanical oscillator, vibrate. This interaction allows light\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">to be converted between vastly different frequencies, and provides an opportunity to manipulate\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">the time and frequency content of electromagnetic signals. The following chapters describe the\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">construction and measurement of systems that use electromagnetic resonators and highly tensioned\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">membranes as mechanical oscillators to manipulate electromagnetic signals with high efficiency\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">and extremely low added noise. These results show that mechanical oscillators can bring needed\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">signal processing capabilities to quantum information networks, where they can be used to connect\&nbsp;</span><span style="line-height: 1.6em;">separate, physically distant, and otherwise mismatched cQED systems.</span></p>