Related papers: An ultra-narrow line width levitated nano-oscillat…

The sensitivity of a mechanical transducer is ultimately limited by its inherent quantum fluctuations. Here, we use an optically levitated nanoparticle to measure impulsive forces smaller than the particle's zero-point momentum uncertainty.…

High quality factor ($Q$) nanomechanical resonators have received a lot of attention for sensor applications with unprecedented sensitivity. Despite the large interest, few investigations into the frequency stability of high-$Q$ resonators…

Quantum measurements of mechanical systems can produce optical squeezing via ponderomotive forces. Its observation requires high environmental isolation and efficient detection, typically achieved by using optical cavities and cryogenic…

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…

Diamagnetic levitation offers stable confinement of an object from its environment at zero power, and thus is a promising technique for developing next generation unclamped resonant sensors. In this work, we realize a resonant weighing…

The observation of quantum phenomena in macroscopic mechanical oscillators has been a subject of interest since the inception of quantum mechanics. Prerequisite to this regime are both preparation of the mechanical oscillator at low phonon…

We consider frequency fluctuations in self-sustained oscillators based on nonlinear underdamped resonators. An important type of such resonators are nano- and micro-electro-mechanical systems. Various noise sources are considered, with the…

Optically levitated mechanical sensors promise isolation from thermal noise far beyond what is possible using flexible materials alone. One way to access this potential is to apply a strong optical trap to a minimally supported mechanical…

Optically levitated nanomechanical resonators in vacuum perform ultrahigh sensitivity for mechanical quantities by overcoming the limitations of clamped resonators. However, the generally levitated silica nanoparticles (NPs) with low…

We consider a nanoparticle levitated in a Paul trap in ultrahigh cryogenic vacuum, and look for the conditions which allow for a stringent noninterferometric test of spontaneous collapse models. In particular we compare different possible…

A minimal observable length is a common feature of theories that aim to merge quantum physics and gravity. Quantum mechanically, this concept is associated to a nonzero minimal uncertainty in position measurements, which is encoded in…

We report the observation of discrete displacement of nanomechanical oscillators with gigahertz-range resonance frequencies at millikelvin temperatures. The oscillators are nanomachined single-crystal structures of silicon, designed to…

Optically-levitated nanoparticles in vacuum offer a pristine platform for high-quality mechanical oscillators, enabling a wide range of precision measurements and quantum technologies. A key performance metric in such systems is the…

Cavity-enhanced radiation pressure coupling between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom allows quantum-limited position measurements and gives rise to dynamical backaction enabling amplification and cooling of mechanical motion. Here…

We analyze the use of a driven nonlinear cavity to make a weak continuous measurement of a dispersively-coupled qubit. We calculate the backaction dephasing rate and measurement rate beyond leading-order perturbation theory using a…

We propose to introduce additional control in levitated optomechanics by trapping a meta-atom, i.e. a subwavelength and high-permittivity dielectric particle supporting Mie resonances. In particular, we theoretically demonstrate that…

Accurately observing the rarefied media of the upper atmosphere, exosphere, and planetary and solar system environments and beyond requires highly sensitive metrological techniques. We present the operating concept and architecture of an…

We demonstrate a technique to estimate the strength of non-linearities present in the trapping potential of an optically levitated nanoparticle. By applying a brief pulsed reduction in trapping laser power of the system such as to squeeze…

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…

In real-time quantum feedback protocols, the record of a continuous measurement is used to stabilize a desired quantum state. Recent years have seen highly successful applications in a variety of well-isolated micro-systems, including…