Abstract
Levitated nano-oscillators are seen as promising platforms for testing fundamental physics and testing quantum mechanics in a new high mass regime. Levitation allows extreme isolation from the environment, reducing the decoherence processes that are crucial for these sensitive experiments. A fundamental property of any oscillator is its line width and mechanical quality factor, Q. Narrow line widths in the microHertz regime and mechanical Q's as high as $10^{12}$ have been predicted for levitated systems, but to date, the poor stability of these oscillators over long periods have prevented direct measurement in high vacuum. Here we report on the measurement of an ultra-narrow line width levitated nano-oscillator, whose line width of $81\pm\,23\,\mu$Hz is only limited by residual gas pressure at high vacuum. This narrow line width allows us to put new experimental bounds on dissipative models of wavefunction collapse including continuous spontaneous localisation and Di\'{o}si-Penrose and illustrates its utility for future precision experiments that aim to test the macroscopic limits of quantum mechanics.
Highlights
Levitated oscillators formed by trapping neutral and charged nanoparticles in optical [1,2,3,4], electric [5,6,7,8], or magnetic fields [9,10] are unlike any other optomechanical system in that the oscillator’s properties can be widely tuned by control of the levitating fields
The poor stability of these oscillators over long periods, coupled with their tendency to operate in anharmonic/nonlinear regimes has prevented direct measurement of the predicted narrow linewidths in high vacuum
A fundamental limiting noise for optical levitation is the recoil of photons from the levitation laser itself [19], while internal heating via absorption of laser light leads to motional heating [20]
Summary
Levitated oscillators formed by trapping neutral and charged nanoparticles in optical [1,2,3,4], electric [5,6,7,8], or magnetic fields [9,10] are unlike any other optomechanical system in that the oscillator’s properties can be widely tuned by control of the levitating fields. The fields can even be turned-off, offering low noise, field free, measurements for short periods of time [11,12]. These properties make them an attractive platform for exploring the foundations of quantum mechanics and fundamental physics in a previously unexplored regime [12,13,14,15,16]. Narrow linewidths in the submicrohertz range and quality factors has high as 1012 have been predicted for optical levitated systems [2]. The poor stability of these oscillators over long periods, coupled with their tendency to operate in anharmonic/nonlinear regimes has prevented direct measurement of the predicted narrow linewidths in high vacuum.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
