Related papers: Nanomechanical sensor resolving impulsive forces b…
Using light to measure an object's motion is central to operating mechanical sensors that probe forces and fields. Cavity optomechanical systems embed mechanical resonators inside optical resonators. This enhances the sensitivity of…
We consider the use of quantum-limited mechanical force sensors to detect ultralight (sub-meV) dark matter candidates which are weakly coupled to the standard model. We show that mechanical sensors with masses around or below the milligram…
Levitated optomechanical systems are rapidly becoming leading tools for precision sensing of forces and accelerations acting on particles in the femtogram to nanogram mass range. These systems enable a high level of control over the…
Today's mechanical sensors are capable of detecting extremely weak perturbations while operating near the standard quantum limit. However, further improvements can be made in both sensitivity and bandwidth when we reduce the noise…
Optically levitated dielectric nanoparticles have become valuable tools for precision sensing and quantum optomechanical experiments. To predict the dynamic properties of a particle trapped in an optical tweezer with high fidelity, a tool…
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 determine the quantum mechanical limits to inertial mass-sensing based on nanomechanical systems. We first consider a harmonically oscillating cantilever whose vibration frequency is changed by mass accretion at its surface. We show that…
In recent years microfabricated microwave cavities have been extremely successful in a wide variety of detector applications. In this article we focus this technology on the challenge of quantum-limited displacement detection of a…
We demonstrate a scanning force microscope, based upon a quartz tuning fork, that operates below 100 mK and in magnetic fields up to 6 T. The microscope has a conducting tip for electrical probing of nanostructures of interest, and it…
Motivated by the recent development of fast and ultra-sensitive thermometry in nanoscale systems, we investigate quantum calorimetric detection of individual heat pulses in the sub-meV energy range. We propose a hybrid superconducting…
Mechanical transduction of torque has been key to probing a number of physical phenomena, such as gravity, the angular momentum of light, the Casimir effect, magnetism, and quantum oscillations. Following similar trends as mass and force…
Vibrating nano- and micromechanical resonators have been the subject of research aiming at ultrasensitive mass sensors for mass spectrometry, chemical analysis and biomedical diagnosis. Unfortunately, their merits diminish dramatically in…
Mechanical force is an essential feature for many physical and biological processes.1-12 Remote measurement of mechanical signals with high sensitivity and spatial resolution is needed for diverse applications, including robotics,13…
High-precision sensing of vectorial forces has broad impact on both fundamental research and technological applications such as the examination of vacuum fluctuations \cite{casimir09rmp} and the detection of surface roughness of…
We report on a hitherto unexplored application of squeezed light: for quantum-enhancement of mechanical transduction sensitivity in microcavity optomechanics. Using a toroidal silica microcavity, we experimentally demonstrate measurement of…
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…
We report on progress in developing compact sensors for atomic force microscopy (AFM), in which the mechanical transducer is integrated with near-field optical readout on a single chip. The motion of a nanoscale, doubly-clamped cantilever…
Recently, nanomaterials are arousing increasing interest and a wide variety of opto-electronic devices have been developed, such as light-emitting diodes, solar cells, and photodetectors. However, the study of the light emission properties…
Label-free biosensors are important tools for clinical diagnostics and for studying biology at the single molecule level. The development of optical label-free sensors has allowed extreme sensitivity, but can expose the biological sample to…
Achieving optimal force sensitivity with nanomechanical resonators requires the ability to resolve their thermal vibrations. In two-dimensional resonators, this can be done by measuring the energy they absorb while vibrating in an optical…