Related papers: Force sensing with an optically levitated charged …
Short-range forces have important real-world relevance across a range of settings in the nano world, from colloids and possibly for protein folding to nano-mechanical devices, but also for detection of weak long-range forces, such as…
We use the principles of cavity optomechanics to design a resonant mechanical force sensor for atomic force microscopy. The sensor is based on a type of electromechanical coupling, dual to traditional capacitive coupling, whereby the motion…
The ability to cool and manipulate levitated nano-particles in vacuum is a promising new tool for exploring macroscopic quantum mechanics\cite{WanPRL2016,Scala2013,Zhang2013}, precision measurements of forces, \cite{GambhirPRA2016} and…
Acoustic levitation is frequently used for non-contact manipulation of objects and to study the impact of microgravity on physical and biological processes. While the force field produced by sound pressure lifts particles against gravity…
Optomechanics is concerned with the use of light to control mechanical objects. As a field, it has been hugely successful in the production of precise and novel sensors, the development of low-dissipation nanomechanical devices, and the…
The use of levitated nanospheres represents a new paradigm for the optomechanical cooling of a small mechanical oscillator, with the prospect of realising quantum oscillators with unprecedentedly high quality factors. We investigate the…
Mechanical resonators based on a single carbon nanotube are exceptional sensors of mass and force. The force sensitivity in these ultra-light resonators is often limited by the noise in the detection of the vibrations. Here, we report on an…
Levitated optomechanics, a rapidly expanding field that employs light to monitor and manipulate the mechanical motion of levitated objects, is increasingly relevant across physics, engineering, and other fields. This technique, which…
The symmetron, one of the light scalar fields introduced by dark energy theories, is thought to modify the gravitational force when it couples to matter. However, detecting the symmetron field is challenging due to its screening behavior in…
We describe a method for sensing short range forces using matter wave interference in dielectric nanospheres. When compared with atom interferometers, the larger mass of the nanosphere results in reduced wave packet expansion, enabling…
In this work, the force due to radiation pressure is measured with sub-10 pN sensitivity, corresponding to less than 2 mW of optical power. The apparatus adds homemade reflectors to a commercial Cavendish balance, which consists of a…
We propose and theoretically analyze an experiment where displacement sensing of an optically levitated nanoparticle in front of a surface can be used to measure the induced dipole-dipole interaction between the nanoparticle and its thermal…
We demonstrate optical levitation of SiO$_2$ spheres with masses ranging from 0.1 to 30 nanograms. In high vacuum, we observe that the measured acceleration sensitivity improves for larger masses and obtain a sensitivity of $0.4 \times…
Achieving efficient three-dimensional feedback cooling of levitated nanoparticles is a key requirement for precision sensing and quantum control in levitated optomechanics. Here we demonstrate three-dimensional optical feedback cooling of a…
Levitated oscillators with millimeter or sub-millimeter size are particularly attractive due to their potential role in studying various fundamental problems and practical applications. One of the crucial issues towards these goals is to…
We report on the use of 4.7-$\mu$m-diameter, optically levitated, charged microspheres to image the three-dimensional force field produced by charge distributions on an Au-coated, microfabricated Si beam in vacuum. An upward-propagating,…
Levitated ferromagnetic systems are expected to have significant potential in precision magnetic field sensing by leveraging mechanical isolation to minimize mechanical contact and associated noise. Here, we report the implementation of a…
We report the development of an ultrasensitive optomechanical sensor designed to improve the accuracy and precision of force measurements with atomic force microscopy. The sensors reach quality factors of 4.3x10^6 and force resolution on…
The momentum transfer between a photon and an object defines a fundamental limit for the precision with which the object can be measured. If the object oscillates at a frequency $\Omega_0$, this measurement back-action adds quanta…
We demonstrate an optical conveyor belt for levitated nano-particles over several centimeters inside both air-filled and evacuated hollow-core photonic crystal fibers (HCPCF). Detection of the transmitted light field allows…