Related papers: KWISP: an ultra-sensitive force sensor for the Dar…
Palpation of human tissue during Minimally Invasive Surgery is hampered due to restricted access. In this extended abstract, we present a variable stiffness and dynamic force range sensor that has the potential to address this challenge.…
In recent years, the lack of a conclusive detection of WIMP dark matter at the 10 GeV/c$^{2}$ mass scale and above has encouraged development of low-threshold detector technology aimed at probing lighter dark matter candidates. Detectors…
Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been constantly supporting nanosciences and nanotechnologies for over 30 years, being present in many fields from condensed matter physics to biology. It enables measuring very weak forces at the nanoscale,…
The detection of weak forces is a central problem in physics and engineering, ranging in importance from fundamental pursuits such as precision tests of gravity, gravitational-wave detection, and searches for dark matter, to applications…
We propose an experiment using optically trapped and cooled dielectric microspheres for the detection of short-range forces. The center-of-mass motion of a microsphere trapped in vacuum can experience extremely low dissipation and quality…
Levitated nanoparticles are being intensively investigated from two different perspectives: as a potential realisation of macroscopic quantum coherence; and as ultra-sensitive sensors of force, down to the zeptoNewton level, with a range of…
We describe a transducer for low-temperature atomic force microscopy based on electromechanical coupling due to a strain-dependent kinetic inductance of a superconducting nanowire. The force sensor is a bending triangular plate (cantilever)…
We experimentally surpass the 3dB limit to steady state parametric squeezing of a mechanical oscillator. The localization of a AFM cantilever, achieved by optimal estimation, is enhanced by up to 6.2 dB in one position quadrature when a…
A photonic force microscope comprises of an optically trapped micro-probe and a position detection system to track the motion of the probe. Signal collection for motion detection is often carried out using the backscattered light off the…
The quantum nature of the electromagnetic field imposes a fundamental limit on the sensitivity of optical precision measurements such as spectroscopy, microscopy, and interferometry. The so-called quantum limit is set by the zero-point…
We present a new capacitive sensor for displacement measurement in a Surface Forces Apparatus (SFA) which allows dynamical measurements in the range of 0-100 Hz. This sensor measures the relative displacement between two macroscopic opaque…
Future actively cooled space-borne observatories for the far-infrared, loosely defined as a 1--10 THz band, can potentially reach a sensitivity limited only by background radiation from the Universe. This will result in an increase in…
Cooling down nanomechanical force probes is a generic strategy to enhance their sensitivities through the concomitant reduction of their thermal noise and mechanical damping rates. However, heat conduction mechanisms become less efficient…
XENONnT is a dark matter direct detection experiment, utilizing 5.9 t of instrumented liquid xenon, located at the INFN Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso. In this work, we predict the experimental background and project the sensitivity of…
The dense energy deposition from a low-energy nuclear recoil produces, via the thermoacoustic effect, a brief yet intense pressure pulse that can be used for WIMP or neutrino detection in some fiber-optic devices sensitive to acoustooptic…
We discuss experimental schemes to measure the Casimir force and short range forces from hypothetical modified gravity with unprecedented sensitivity using highly sensitive prototype gravitational wave detectors as displacement sensors. The…
We present several new ideas on how to search for weakly interacting sub-eV particles in laboratory experiments. The first experiment is sensitive to minicharged particles. It exploits that in strong electric fields particle - antiparticle…
The most efficient approach to laser interferometric force sensing to date uses monochromatic carrier light with its signal sideband spectrum in a squeezed vacuum state. Quantum decoherence, i.e. mixing with an ordinary vacuum state due to…
We report on the realization of a displacement sensor based on an optical nanofiber. A single gold nano-sphere is deposited on top of a nanofiber and the system is placed within a standing wave which serves as a position ruler. Scattered…
In recent years, the sensitivity of opto-mechanical force sensors has improved leading to increased interest in using these devices as particle detectors. In this study we consider scenarios where dark matter with mass close to the Planck…