Stanford observes quantum jumps of sound for the first time

Stanford physicists have directly recorded quantum jumps of sound in a mechanical resonator, tracking individual phonons in real time. The device vibrates for 2 milliseconds, enabling hundreds of measurements via a superconducting qubit detector. The findings were published in Science.

• First direct observation of a sound quantum jump between energy states 1 and 0
• Resonator vibrates for 2 ms — equivalent to hours of ringing in a tuning fork
• Qubit detector reads the phonon state without disturbing it
• Work opens paths to quantum error correction and ultra-sensitive sensors