
Maxime Perdriat
ETH Zurich
website
Probing Fundamental Physics with Levitated Nanoparticles
Abstract: Over the past decade, the levitation of nano- and microparticles has attracted increasing interest in quantum physics [1]. Their extremely small mass (fg–ng), exceptional isolation from the environment in ultra-high vacuum, and high degree of controllability make them a promising platform for probing new physics [2]. Recently, a levitated nanosphere has been cooled to its motional ground state, paving the way to explore the boundary between the classical and quantum worlds with objects composed of billions of atoms [3,4]. Moreover, because of their exceptional directional sensitivity to impulsive forces in the ground state of motion, levitated nanoparticles have been proposed as detectors of dark matter particles in previously unexplored regions of parameter space [5].
In this presentation, we first recall some results on the interaction between the angular degrees of freedom of micro-diamonds and the highly coherent magnetic impurities they host, namely the NV centers. Coupling a mechanical mode of motion to a qubit provides clear advantages for generating nonclassical motional states. In a second time, we introduce a new experiment in which a supersonic beam of xenon atoms is directed at a levitated nanosphere cooled close to its motional ground state. The collision of a single atom with the nanosphere is expected to impart a recoil large enough to be observed. Detecting such small impulsive forces, arising from the interaction of a levitated nanosphere with a single particle, would make an essential step toward the detection of unknown particles, such as potential dark matter candidates.
References:
[1] Carlos Gonzalez-Ballestero, et al., Levitodynamics: levitation and control of microscopic objects in vacuum. Science 374, eabg3027 (2021).
[2] David Moore, et al., Searching for new physics using optically levitated sensors, Quantum Sci. Technol. 6 014008 (2021).
[3] Felix Tebbenjohanns, et al., Nature 595, 378-382 (2021).
[4] Lorenzo Magrini, et al., Nature 595, 373–377 (2021).
[5] Eva Kilian, et al., Dark matter searches with levitated sensors, AVS Quantum Sci. 6, 030503 (2024).