Measuring Gravity at the Micron Scale with Laser-Cooled Trapped Microspheres

引力是最不为人所知的自然基本力——量子引力的能量尺度与其他标准模型（电弱）力的能量尺度之间存在16个数量级的差距。这个谜团可以用另一种方式来解释：为什么引力比其他标准模型力弱得多？该奖项资助对亚毫米距离重力特性的研究，该研究将通过使用低温微悬臂梁进行，该梁允许在阿托-牛顿水平上测量亚100微米长度尺度的重力。这些微悬臂梁试验的力灵敏度受到机械耗散的限制。为了减轻这种机械损失，我们将开发一种新的装置来利用激光捕获和冷却介电纳米球。通过光学悬浮力传感器，与环境的完美解耦成为可能。像我们这样的研究可能会导致超越标准模型的令人兴奋的物理学新发现，标准模型最近因探测到希格斯玻色子而得到了著名的验证。我们的研究项目处于当前知识的最前沿，并提高了内华达州的科学能力，目前内华达州在科学努力方面的代表性不足。通过一系列为对科学感兴趣的大学新生安排的讲座，正在进行额外的努力，将这一令人兴奋的研究带给普通大学人口。此外，还举办公开讲座，鼓励内华达州的年轻人从事科学事业。

Gravity is the least understood fundamental force of nature - there is a 16 order of magnitude disparity between the energy scale of quantum gravity and that of the other Standard Model (electro-weak) forces. The mystery can be cast in another way: why is gravity so much weaker than the other Standard Model forces? This award funds research on the characteristics of gravity at sub-millimeter distances to be conducted through the use of cryogenic micro-cantilever beams which allow measurements of gravitational forces at sub-100 micron length scales at the atto-Newton level. The force sensitivity of these micro-cantilever experiments is limited by mechanical dissipation. To mitigate this mechanical loss, we will develop a novel apparatus to trap and cool dielectric nanospheres using lasers. By optically levitating the force sensor, an exquisite decoupling from the environment is possible.Studies such as ours could lead to exciting new discoveries of physics beyond the Standard Model which has recently been famously validated by the detection of what appears to be the Higgs boson. Our research program is at the forefront of current knowledge and enhances the scientific competency of the state of Nevada, which is currently under-represented in terms of scientific endeavor. Additional efforts are undertaken to bring this exciting research to the general university population through a series of scheduled lectures for incoming college freshmen interested in the sciences. Also, public lectures are presented to encourage young people in Nevada to pursue career in science.