Innovation Area - Sensing technology to control quantum systems, Photonic systems for quantum control and information processing

Levitated photonic microrotors in the quantum regime

Tweezer-levitated particles in vacuum offer a unique platform for probing and exploiting quantum aspects of massive mechanical objects. A fascinating prospect is the possibility of using the levitated particle for studying quantum physics on large scales and for developing acceleration and rotation sensors with quantum-limited precision. The field of levitated quantum optomechanics has shown significant progress over the past few years. However, current research has been largely limited to particles with sizes far less than the optical wavelength. To improve existing sensing capabilities and to push quantum experiments to the macroscale, it is desirable to scale up the size and tailor the shape of the particle, which allows for utilizing rich light-matter interactions only available for photonic objects, whose size is comparable to the optical wavelength, and which may thus exhibit Mie-like optical resonances.

In this project, we aim to expand the scope of levitated quantum optomechanics to photonic aspherical particles, whose shape and size is beyond the Rayleigh regime and whose optical response is thus not that of a point dipole. Specifically, we will focus on developing and gaining full quantum motion control over a photonic microrotor, a micron-scale high-aspect-ratio particle with tailored optical and mechanical properties. The successful completion of the proposed project will allow us to achieve quantum-limited control of photonic microrotors, including the cooling of translational and rotational degrees of freedom to the quantum regime. This will pave the way for testing quantum physics in unexplored parameter regimes and for developing levitated gyroscopes as quantum-limited acceleration and rotation sensors with unprecedented controllability.