Speaker
Description
Nanomechanical oscillators are exciting sensing platforms with applications in both fundamental and applied research. One of their distinctive features is their ability to couple to a plethora of forces while operating with quantum-limited performance. An example of such a platform is an optically levitated nanoparticle in vacuum. Recently, we managed to prepare the motion of such a particle in minimum-uncertainty quantum states, which are relevant for sensing purposes. In this talk, I will present our recent work on measuring and controlling a levitated particle in the quantum regime. I will show how the nanoparticle can be operated both as a continuous force sensor and as a recoil sensor. Moreover, we realise a mechanical amplifier by exploiting quantum correlations between position and momentum. In this way, we are able to detect recoils even weaker than the momentum zero-point value. This remarkable sensitivity will also be crucial for preparing more exotic quantum states, such as a Schrödinger’s cat, by making the nanoparticle sensitive to weak nonlinear forces.