Related papers: Quantum squeezing of a levitated nanomechanical os…
A levitated non-spherical nanoparticle in a vacuum is ideal for studying quantum rotations and is an extremely sensitive torque and force detector. It has been proposed to probe fundamental particle-surface interactions such as the Casimir…
Because of the broken time-translation symmetry, in periodically driven vibrational systems fluctuations of different vibration components have different intensities. Fluctuations of one of the components are often squeezed, whereas…
Displacement of propagating quantum states of light is a fundamental operation for quantum communication. It enables fundamental studies on macroscopic quantum coherence and plays an important role in quantum teleportation protocols with…
The opportunity to manipulate small-scale objects pushes us to the limits of our understanding of physics. Particularly promising in this regard is the interdisciplinary field of levitation, in which light fields can be harnessed to isolate…
We systematically investigate the bistable behavior and squeezing property of the librational mode of a levitated nonspherical nanoparticle trapped by laser beams. By expanding the librational potential to the forth order of the librational…
Squeezed mechanical states are a highly coveted resource for quantum-enhanced sensing and serve as a compelling platform for probing the interplay between gravity and quantum mechanics. It has been predicted that a mechanical oscillator can…
Controlling the motion of macroscopic oscillators in the quantum regime has been the subject of intense research in recent decades. In this direction, opto-mechanical systems, where the motion of micro-objects is strongly coupled with laser…
Interferometric position detection of levitated particles is crucial for the centre-of-mass (CM) motion cooling and manipulation of levitated particles. In combination with balanced detection and feedback cooling, this system has provided…
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…
A contactless control of mean values and fluctuations of position and velocity of a nanoobject belongs among the key methods needed for ultra-precise nanotechnology and the upcoming quantum technology of macroscopic systems. An analysis of…
Levitation optomechanics exploits the unique mechanical properties of trapped nano-objects in vacuum in order to address some of the limitations of clamped nanomechanical resonators. In particular, its performance is foreseen to contribute…
We demonstrate coherent, measurement-free optical feedback control of a levitated nanoparticle, achieving phonon occupations down to a few hundred phonons. Unlike measurement-based feedback, this all-optical scheme preserves the…
The control of levitated nano- and micro-objects in vacuum is of considerable interest, capitalizing on the scientific achievements in the fields of atomic physics, control theory and optomechanics. The ability to couple the motion of…
Some predictions of quantum mechanics are in contrast with the macroscopic realm of everyday experience, in particular those originated by the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, encoded in the non-commutativity of some measurable operators.…
The advent of laser cooling techniques revolutionized the study of many atomic-scale systems. This has fueled progress towards quantum computers by preparing trapped ions in their motional ground state, and generating new states of matter…
We review recent works on optomechanics of optically trapped microspheres and nanoparticles in vacuum, which provide an ideal system for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics and ultrasensitive force detection. An optically trapped…
It has recently become possible to encode the quantum state of superconducting qubits and the position of nanomechanical oscillators into the states of microwave fields. However, to make an ideal measurement of the state of a qubit, or to…
We report three-dimensional cooling of a levitated nanoparticle inside an optical cavity. The cooling mechanism is provided by cavity-enhanced coherent scattering off an optical tweezer. The observed 3D dynamics and cooling rates are as…
We study the quantum properties of a nanomechanical oscillator via the squeezing of the oscillator amplitude. The static longitudinal compressive force $F_0$ close to a critical value at the Euler buckling instability leads to an anharmonic…
Spatially separated bodies in relative motion through vacuum experience a tiny friction force known as quantum friction. This force has so far eluded experimental detection due to its small magnitude and short range. Quantitative details…