APS Logo

Ultrasensitive Force Sensing with Optically Levitating Nanoparticles

POSTER

Abstract

Measuring short-range forces such as deviations to Newtonian gravity or Casimir forces requires precision sensitivity. Optically-levitating nanospheres in vacuum have experimentally been shown to present excellent sensitivity at the zeptonewton scale. Our experiment makes use of precise position control of an optically levitating 300 nm silica sphere in vacuum. We plan to use this system to search for a Yukawa-type correction to Newtonian gravity. Furthermore, successful execution of our experiment can allow us to investigate other short-range surface-force phenomena as well.

Publication: Arvanitaki, A., & Geraci, A. A. (2013). Detecting High-Frequency Gravitational Waves with Optically Levitated Sensors. Physical Review Letters, 110(7).<br>Bose, S., et al (2017). Spin Entanglement Witness for Quantum Gravity. Physical Review Letters, 119(24).<br>Chen, Y.-J., et al (2016). Stronger Limits on Hypothetical Yukawa Interactions in the 30–8000 nm Range. Physical Review Letters, 116(22).<br>Cunningham, M. S. (2017). Ultrasensitive Force Sensing with Nanospheres in an Optical Standing Wave Trap. Master's thesis, University of Nevada, Reno.<br>Geraci, A.A., et al (2008)., Improved constraints on non-Newtonian forces at 10 microns. Phys. Rev. D 78(2).<br>Geraci, A. A., & Goldman, H. (2015). Sensing short-range forces with a nanosphere matter-wave interferometer. Phys. Rev. D, 92(6).<br>Geraci, A. A., Papp, S. B., & Kitching, J. (2010). Short-Range Force Detection Using Optically Cooled Levitated Microspheres. Physical Review Letters, 105(10).<br>Jöckel, A., Faber, A., Kampschulte, T., Korppi, M., Rakher, M. T., & Treutlein, P. (2014). Sympathetic cooling of a membrane oscillator in a hybrid mechanical–atomic system. Nature Nanotech, 10(1), 55-59.<br>Kapner, D.J., et al (2007). Tests of the Gravitational Inverse-Square Law below the Dark-Energy Length Scale. Physical Review Letters, 98(02).<br>Montoya, C. (2017). Hybrid systems: cold atoms coupled to micro mechanical oscillators. Ph.D. dissertation, University of Nevada, Reno.<br>Ranjit, G., Montoya, C., & Geraci, A. A. (2015). Cold atoms as a coolant for levitated optomechanical systems. Phys. Rev. A, 91(1). <br>Ranjit, G., Cunningham, M., Casey, K., & Geraci, A. A. (2016). Zeptonewton force sensing with nanospheres in an optical lattice. Physical Review A, 93(5).

Presenters

  • Nia Burrell

    Northwestern University

Authors

  • Nia Burrell

    Northwestern University

  • Chethn Galla

    Northwestern University

  • Andrew Laeuger

    Northwestern University

  • Evan Weisman

    Northwestern University

  • Andrew A Geraci

    Northwestern University