A. Quantum coherence and statistics of mesoscopic systems

We want to generalize current theoretical models of quantum point contact (QPC) position

detectors in nanomechanical systems by considering a scattering theory of the QPC where

tunneling is no longer assumed to be small. We plan to investigate the possibility of generating

entanglement between two nanomechanical oscillators by simultaneous measurement of the

position of the two oscillators by a single tunnel junction. We will study the perspectives

of a suspended nanomechanical device as a detector of frequency-dependent quantum noise.

We will study the dynamics of ultra-cold atoms in optical superlattices and the entanglement

in such multipartite systems. We will also investigate the single-atom staircase for double-

well lattices containing a mixture of bosonic and fermionic atoms. We will study the weak

measurement theory of solid-state qubits.

B. Mesoscopic superconductivity

We will investigate the onset of the Josephson effect between two fermionic reservoirs (su-

perconductors/superfluids) using a number-conserving theory. We will investigate current

cross-correlations in a superconducting beam splitter if the superconductor is characterized by

a non-trivial state.