Torsional Optomechanics of a Levitated Nonspherical Nanoparticle
Torsional Optomechanics of a Levitated Nonspherical Nanoparticle
复制标题
悬浮非球形纳米粒子的扭转光力学
DOI:
10.1103/physrevlett.117.123604
复制
发表时间:
2016-09-15
影响因子:
8.6
通讯作者:
Li, Tongcang
中科院分区:
文献类型:
--
作者:
Hoang, Thai M.;Ma, Yue;Li, Tongcang
An optically levitated nanoparticle in vacuum is a paradigm optomechanical system for sensing and studying macroscopic quantum mechanics. While its center-of-mass motion has been investigated intensively, its torsional vibration has only been studied theoretically in limited cases. Here we report the first experimental observation of the torsional vibration of an optically levitated nonspherical nanoparticle in vacuum. We achieve this by utilizing the coupling between the spin angular momentum of photons and the torsional vibration of a nonspherical nanoparticle whose polarizability is a tensor. The torsional vibration frequency can be 1 order of magnitude higher than its center-of-mass motion frequency, which is promising for ground state cooling. We propose a simple yet novel scheme to achieve ground state cooling of its torsional vibration with a linearly polarized Gaussian cavity mode. A levitated nonspherical nanoparticle in vacuum will also be an ultrasensitive nanoscale torsion balance with a torque detection sensitivity on the order of 10(-29) Nm/root Hz pHz under realistic conditions.