We describe the construction and characterisation of a nano-oscillator formed by a Paul trap. The frequency and temperature stability of the nano-oscillator was measured over several days allowing us to identify the major sources of trap and environmental fluctuations. We measure an overall frequency stability of 2 ppm/hr and a temperature stability of more than 5 hours via the Allan deviation. Importantly, we find that the charge on the nanoscillator is stable over a timescale of at least two weeks and that the mass of the oscillator, can be measured with a 3 % uncertainty. This allows us to distinguish between the trapping of a single nanosphere and a nano-dumbbell formed by a cluster of two nanospheres.
@article{arxiv.1906.09580,
title = {Characterisation of a charged particle levitated nano-oscillator},
author = {N. P. Bullier and A. Pontin and P. F. Barker},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1906.09580},
year = {2020}
}