--- title: "This “Quantum Microphone” Can Listen to a Single Sound Particle" description: "Stanford researchers have developed a \"quantum microphone\" that is so sensitive, it can measure individual particles of sound, otherwise known as \"phonons.\"" date: "2019-07-25" modified: "2019-07-25" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/quantum-microphone-sound-particle-vibrations" categories: - "Physics" - "Quantum Physics" - "Science & Energy" tags: - "microphones" - "quantum computer" - "quantum computing" - "the digest" --- # This “Quantum Microphone” Can Listen to a Single Sound Particle ![Stanford researchers have developed a "quantum microphone" that is so sensitive, it can measure individual particles of sound, otherwise known as "phonons."]() *\Image: Wentao Jiang/Victor Tangermann\* ## Quantum State Researchers at Stanford University [have developed]() a "quantum microphone" that's sensitive enough to measure the individual particles of sound known as "phonons." “We expect this device to allow new types of quantum sensors, transducers and storage devices for future quantum machines,” said study leader Amir Safavi-Naeini, assistant professor of applied physics at Stanford in a [university blog post](). ## Vibrational Energy Phonons are individual packets of vibrational energy that often manifest as sound or heat. But measuring individual phonons, according to Stanford, has been impossible until now. "One phonon corresponds to an energy ten trillion trillion times smaller than the energy required to keep a lightbulb on for one second," said graduate student Patricio Arrangoiz-Arriola, a co-first author of [the study](), that was published in the journal *Nature* on Wednesday. ## Nanoscale Resonators Rather than sound moving a membrane inside an ordinary microphone, the quantum microphone uses supercooled resonators, according to Stanford — so small they can only be seen through an electron microscope — that act as a "mirror of sound." The device could lay the groundwork for a new way to store information encoded as phonons rather than relying on photons which current quantum computers rely on for encoding information. That could make future mechanical quantum computers even more compact and efficient as phonons are easier to manipulate and have much smaller wavelengths than light particles. "Sound has this granularity that we don’t normally experience," Safavi-Naeini said. "Sound, at the quantum level, crackles." **READ MORE:** [Stanford physicists count sound particles with quantum microphone]() \[Stanford University\] **More on quantum states:** *[Stacking Graphene Creates Entirely New Quantum States]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()