Abstract
The van der Pol oscillator is the prototypical self-sustained oscillator and has been used to model nonlinear behavior in biological and other classical processes. We investigate how quantum fluctuations affect phase locking of one or many van der Pol oscillators. We find that phase locking is much more robust in the quantum model than in the equivalent classical model. Trapped-ion experiments are ideally suited to simulate van der Pol oscillators in the quantum regime via sideband heating and cooling of motional modes. We provide realistic experimental parameters for achievable with current technology.
- Received 26 June 2013
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.234101
© 2013 American Physical Society