Observation of Quantum Interference between Separated Mechanical Oscillator Wave Packets.

We directly observe the quantum interference between two well-separated trapped-ion mechanical oscillator wave packets. The superposed state is created from a spin-motion entangled state using a heralded measurement. Wave packet interference is observed through the energy eigenstate populations. We reconstruct the Wigner function of these states by introducing probe Hamiltonians which measure Fock state populations in displaced and squeezed bases. Squeezed-basis measurements with 8 dB squeezing allow the measurement of interference for Δα=15.6, corresponding to a distance of 240 nm between the two superposed wave packets.

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