When
Where
Title
Levitated Optomechanics in the Free Particle Limit
Abstract
Optical, magnetic, and electrodynamic trapping of micrometer to nanometer-scale particles have been explored as a path towards achieving quantum behavior in macroscopic systems. Typically, high oscillation frequencies of the center of mass in the trap are desirable to increase the energy spacing of the quantum states, resulting in a tightly confined particle and a narrow-band response to external forces. We have been using particles in relatively weak magneto-gravitational traps in ultra-high vacuum to explore the opposite extreme; above the center-of-mass resonant frequencies the particles behave as a free mass with a simple response to classical and quantum noise sources. We will discuss the quantum limit of this free particle behavior, prospects for reaching sensitivities below the standard quantum limit of position measurements, potential applications in broadband sensing, and a plan for using a weakly-bound particle in a new precision measurement of G, the Newtonian constant of gravitation.
Bio
Brian D'Urso received his Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University in 2003. He joined the research staff at Oak Ridge Laboratory as a Wigner Fellow and worked his way up to Senior Research Staff before returning to academia. He was on the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh prior to joining the Physics Department at MSU in 2017, where he is now an Associate Professor. His research has ranged from nanostructured materials to atomic physics and levitated optomechanics. Current research in the D'Urso group is focused on the quantum limit of position measurements on particles suspended in magneto-gravitational traps and their application to both sensing and fundamental physics measurements.
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