Quantum Limits in Nanomechanical Systems

Abstract

In two articles, the authors claim that the Heisenberg uncertainty principle limits the precision of simultaneous measurements of the position and velocity of a particle and refer to experimental evidence that supports their claim. It is true that ever since the inception of quantum mechanics, the uncertainty relation that corresponds to a pair of observables represented by non-commuting operators is interpreted by many scientists and engineers, including Heisenberg himself, as a limitation on the accuracy with which observables can be measured. However, such a limitation cannot be deduced from the postulates and theorems of quantum thermodynamics.