Related papers: High sensitivity, levitated microsphere apparatus …
Millimetre-wave observations represent an important tool for Cosmology studies. The Line Intensity Mapping (LIM) technique has been proposed to map in three dimensions the specific intensity due to line (e.g. [CII], CO) emission, for…
We demonstrate a simple and robust geometry for optical trapping in vacuum of a single nanoparticle based on a parabolic mirror and the optical gradient force, and we demonstrate rapid parametric feedback cooling of all three motional…
Optically levitated micro- and nanoparticles are an ideal optomechanical platform for precision measurements, particularly enabling the detection of ultraweak forces. Nevertheless, quantum backaction and inherent instabilities induced by…
We report on the use of an ultracold ensemble of $^{87}$Rb atoms trapped in a vertical lattice as a source for a quantum force sensor based on a Ramsey-Raman type interferometer. We reach spatial resolution in the low micrometer range in…
Nanomechanical oscillators have been employed as transducers to measure force, mass and charge with high sensitivity. They are also used in opto- or electromechanical experiments with the goal of quantum control and phenomena of mechanical…
We report on the local probing and preparation of an ultracold Fermi gas on the length scale of one micrometer, i.e. of the order of the Fermi wavelength. The essential tool of our experimental setup is a pair of identical, high-resolution…
We experimentally demonstrate stable trapping and controlled manipulation of silica microspheres in a structured optical beam consisting of a dark focus surrounded by light in all directions - the so-called Dark Focus Tweezer. Results from…
Trapped ions are sensitive detectors of weak forces and electric fields that excite ion motion. Here measurements of the center-of-mass motion of a trapped-ion crystal that are phase-coherent with an applied weak external force are…
We have extended the range of the high-pressure optical spectroscopy to the far-infrared region keeping the accuracy of ambient-pressure experiments. The newly-developed method offers a powerful tool for the study of pressure-induced phase…
Super-resolution imaging using sub-diffraction field localization by micron sized transparent beads (microspheres) was recently demonstrated [1]. Practical applications in microscopy require control over the positioning of the microspheres.…
We present a comprehensive method for visualisation and quantification of the magnetic stray field of magnetic force microscopy (MFM) probes, applied to the particular case of custom-made multi-layered probes with controllable high/low…
Recently, it was shown that vector beams can be utilized for fast kinematic sensing via measurements of their global polarization state [Optica 2(10), 864 (2015)]. The method relies on correlations between the spatial and polarization…
Aerial manipulation requires force-aware capabilities to enable safe and effective grasping and physical interaction. Previous works often rely on heavy, expensive force sensors unsuitable for typical quadrotor platforms, or perform…
This paper shows a novel method to precisely measure the laser power using an optomechanical system. By measuring a mirror displacement caused by the reflection of an amplitude modulated laser beam, the number of photons in the incident…
We demonstrate photophoretic force-based optical trapping of multiple absorbing particles in air by loosely focusing a Gaussian beam with a series of convex lenses of different focal lengths, and investigate the dependence of the number of…
We report on an optical magnetometer enhanced by vacuum-squeezed light, employing an Mx magnetometer based on $^{87}$Rb vapor in a micrometer-scale cell (~100 $\mu$m). Using the well-established polarization self-rotation effect in a…
The KWISP opto-mechanical force sensor has been built and calibrated in the INFN Trieste optics laboratory and is now under off-beam commissioning at CAST. It is designed to detect the pressure exerted by a flux of solar Chameleons on a…
Squeezed states of light have been used extensively to increase the precision of measurements, from the detection of gravitational waves to the search for dark matter. In the optical domain, high levels of vacuum noise squeezing are…
Interferometry can completely redirect light, providing the potential for strong and controllable optical forces. However, small particles do not naturally act like interferometric beamsplitters, and the optical scattering from them is not…
Analytical solution for optical trapping force on a spherical dielectric particle for an arbitrary positioned focused beam is presented in a generalized Lorenz-Mie and vectorial diffraction theory. In this case the exact electromagnetic…