Single-Spin Magnetomechanics with Levitated Micromagnets

Coupling quantum nonlinearities to mechanical degrees of freedom is an outstanding challenge in the field of quantum science. Realizing such a system would prove useful for applications in quantum metrology and quantum information. We demonstrate a system consisting of micromagnets levitated over a type-II superconductor. The magnet’s center of mass is shown to be trapped in three dimensions, resulting in modes of more than 1 kHz and quality factors of ~10⁶. Additionally, the modes can be tuned by adjusted the conditions of the system before cooldown. We also demonstrate the coupling of the levitated magnet to the spin of a single nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond, ~0.048(2) Hz. This proof-of-principle is the first step towards a spin-mechanics system in coupling regimes relevant for quantum applications.