Search

Ultralight scalar fields can experience runaway `superradiant' amplification near spinning black holes, resulting in a macroscopic `axion cloud' which slowly dissipates via continuous monochromatic gravitational waves. For a particular range of boson masses, $\mathcal{O}(10^{-11}$ -- $10^{-10})$ eV, an axion cloud will radiate in the $10$ -- $100$ kHz band of the Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD). Using fiducial models of the mass, spin, and age distributions of stellar-origin black holes, we simulate the present-day Milky Way population of these hypothetical objects. As a first step towards assessing the LSD's sensitivity to the resultant ensemble of GW signals, we compute the corresponding signal-to-noise ratios which build up over a nominal integration time of $10^{7}$ s, assuming the projected sensitivity of the $1$-m LSD prototype currently under construction, as well as for future $10$-m and $100$-m concepts. For a $100$-m cryogenic instrument, hundreds of resolvable signals could be expected if the boson mass $\mu$ is around $3\times10^{-11}$ eV, and this number diminishes with increasing $\mu$ up to $\approx 5.5\times10^{-11}$ eV. The much larger population of unresolved sources will produce a confusion foreground which could be detectable by a $10$-m instrument if $\mu \in (3-4.5)\times10^{-11}$ eV, or by a $100$-m instrument if $\mu \in (3-6)\times10^{-11}$ eV.

Optically-levitated dielectric objects are promising for precision force, acceleration, torque, and rotation sensing due to their extreme environmental decoupling. While many levitated opto-mechanics experiments employ spherical objects, for some applications non-spherical geometries offer advantages. For example, rod-shaped or dumbbell shaped particles have been demonstrated for torque and rotation sensing and high aspect ratio plate-like particles can exhibit reduced photon recoil heating and may be useful for high-frequency gravitational wave detection or as high bandwidth accelerometers. To achieve optimal sensitivity, cooling, and quantum control in these systems, it is beneficial to achieve optimal displacement detection using scattered light. We describe and numerically implement a method based on Fisher information that is applicable to suspended particles of arbitrary geometry. We demonstrate the agreement between our method and prior methods employed for spherical particles, both in the Rayleigh and Lorentz-Mie regimes. As practical examples we analyze the optical detection limits of an optically-levitated high-aspect-ratio disc-like dielectric object and a rod-shaped object for configurations recently realized in experimental work., Comment: 8 pages, 6 figures

The traditional view from particle physics is that quantum gravity effects should only become detectable at extremely high energies and small length scales. Due to the significant technological challenges involved, there has been limited progress in identifying experimentally detectable effects that can be accessed in the foreseeable future. However, in recent decades, the size and mass of quantum systems that can be controlled in the laboratory have reached unprecedented scales, enabled by advances in ground-state cooling and quantum-control techniques. Preparations of massive systems in quantum states pave the way for the explorations of a low-energy regime in which gravity can be both sourced and probed by quantum systems. Such approaches constitute an increasingly viable alternative to accelerator-based, laser-interferometric, torsion-balance, and cosmological tests of gravity. In this review, we provide an overview of proposals where massive quantum systems act as interfaces between quantum mechanics and gravity. We discuss conceptual difficulties in the theoretical description of quantum systems in the presence of gravity, review tools for modeling massive quantum systems in the laboratory, and provide an overview of the current state-of-the-art experimental landscape. Proposals covered in this review include, among others, precision tests of gravity, tests of gravitationally-induced wavefunction collapse and decoherence, as well as gravitymediated entanglement. We conclude the review with an outlook and summary of the key questions raised., Comment: 81 pages, 11 figures. Manuscript accepted at Reviews of Modern Physics. Comments welcome!

The quantum gravity-induced entanglement of masses (QGEM) protocol for testing quantum gravity using entanglement witnessing utilizes the creation of spatial quantum superpositions of two neutral, massive matter-wave interferometers kept adjacent to each other, separated by a distance d. The mass and the spatial superposition should be such that the two quantum systems can entangle solely via the quantum nature of gravity. Despite being charge-neutral, there are many electromagnetic backgrounds that can also entangle the systems, such as the dipole-dipole interaction, and the Casimir-Polder interaction. To minimize electromagnetic-induced interactions between the masses it is pertinent to isolate the two superpositions by a conducting plate. However, the conducting plate will also exert forces on the masses and hence the trajectories of the two superpositions would be affected. To minimize this effect, we propose to trap the two interferometers such that the trapping potential dominates over the attraction between the conducting plate and the matter-wave interferometers. The superpositions can still be created via the Stern-Gerlach effect in the direction parallel to the plate, where the trapping potential is negligible. The combination of trapping and shielding provides a better parameter space for the parallel configuration of the experiment, where the requirement on the size of the spatial superposition, to witness the entanglement between the two masses purely due to their quantum nature of gravity, decreases by at least two orders of magnitude as compared to the original protocol paper., Comment: Version accepted to PRR

Optomechanics, the study of the mechanical interaction of light with matter, has proven to be a fruitful area of research that has yielded many notable achievements, including the direct detection of gravitational waves in kilometer-scale optical interferometers. Light has been used to cool and demonstrate quantum control over the mechanical degrees of freedom of individual ions and atoms, and more recently has facilitated the observation of quantum ``mechanics'' in objects of larger mass, even at the kg-scale. Optical levitation, where an object can be suspended by radiation pressure and largely decoupled from its environment, has recently established itself as a rich field of study, with many notable results relevant for precision measurement, quantum information science, and foundational tests of quantum mechanics and fundamental physics. This article provides a survey of several current activities in field along with a tutorial describing associated key concepts and methods, both from an experimental and theoretical approach. It is intended as a resource for junior researchers who are new to this growing field as well as beginning graduate students. The tutorial is concluded with a perspective on both promising emerging experimental platforms and anticipated future theoretical developments., Comment: 59 pages, 22 figures, submitted to Advances in Optics and Photonics, 4 figures added, 1 figure deleted, additional introductory text added in Sec. 2

To test the quantum nature of gravity in a lab requires witnessing the entanglement between the two test masses (nano-crystals) solely due to the gravitational interaction kept at a distance in a spatial superposition. The protocol is known as the quantum gravity-induced entanglement of masses (QGEM). One of the main backgrounds in the QGEM experiment is electromagnetic (EM) induced entanglement and decoherence. The EM interactions can entangle the two neutral masses via dipole-dipole vacuum-induced interactions, such as the Casimir-Polder interaction. To mitigate the EM-induced interactions between the two nano-crystals, we enclose the two interferometers in a Faraday cage and separate them by a conducting plate. However, any imperfection on the surface of a nano-crystal, such as a permanent dipole moment will also create an EM background interacting with the conducting plate in the experimental box. These interactions will further generate EM-induced dephasing which we wish to mitigate. In this paper, we will consider a parallel configuration of the QGEM experiment, where we will estimate the EM-induced dephasing rate, run-by-run systematic errors which will induce dephasing, and also provide constraints on the size of the superposition in a model-independent way of creating the spatial superposition., Comment: Version accepted to Physical Review Research on Oct 14 2023. 19 pages, 15 figures, 2 tables

Quantum entanglement provides a novel way to test short-distance quantum physics in a non-relativistic regime. We provide entanglement-based protocols to potentially test the magnetically induced dipole-dipole interaction and the Casimir-Polder potential between the two nano-crystals kept in a Schrodinger Cat state. Our scheme is based on the Stern-Gerlach (SG) apparatus, where we can witness the entanglement mediated by these interactions for the nano-crystal mass m~10^-19 kg with a spatial superposition size of order 0.1 micron in a trap relying on diamagnetic levitation. We show that it is possible to close the SG interferometer in position and momentum with a modest gradient in the magnetic field., Comment: 8 pages, 3 figures

Recently we have discussed a new approach to the problem of quantum gravity in which the quantum mechanical structures that are traditionally fixed, such as the Fubini-Study metric in the Hilbert space of states, become dynamical and so implement the idea of gravitizing the quantum. In this paper we elaborate on a specific test of this new approach to quantum gravity using triple interference in a varying gravitational field. Our discussion is driven by a profound analogy with recent triple-path interference experiments performed in the context of non-linear optics. We emphasize that the triple interference experiment in a varying gravitational field would deeply influence the present understanding of the kinematics of quantum gravity and quantum gravity phenomenology. We also discuss the non-linear Talbot effect as another striking phenomenological probe of gravitization of the geometry of quantum theory., Comment: Published version: 30 pages, 2 figures. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2203.17137

We describe the design, construction, and operation of an apparatus utilizing a piezoelectric transducer for in-vacuum loading of nanoparticles into an optical trap for use in levitated optomechanics experiments. In contrast to commonly used nebulizer-based trap-loading methods which generate aerosolized liquid droplets containing nanoparticles, the method produces dry aerosols of both spherical and high-aspect ratio particles ranging in size by approximately two orders of mangitude. The device has been shown to generate accelerations of order $10^7$ $g$, which is sufficient to overcome stiction forces between glass nanoparticles and a glass substrate for particles as small as $170$ nm diameter. Particles with sizes ranging from $170$ nm to $\sim 10$ $\mu$m have been successfully loaded into optical traps at pressures ranging from $1$ bar to $0.6$ mbar. We report the velocity distribution of the particles launched from the substrate and our results indicate promise for direct loading into ultra-high-vacuum with sufficient laser feedback cooling. This loading technique could be useful for the development of compact fieldable sensors based on optically levitated nanoparticles as well as matter-wave interference experiments with ultra-cold nano-objects which rely on multiple repeated free-fall measurements and thus require rapid trap re-loading in high vacuum conditions., Comment: 9 pages, 10 figures

Optically-levitated dielectric particles can serve as ultra-sensitive detectors of feeble forces and torques, as tools for use in quantum information science, and as a testbed for quantum coherence in macroscopic systems. Knowledge of the structural and optical properties of the particles is important for calibrating the sensitivity of such experiments. Here we report the results of nanomechanical testing of silica nanospheres and investigate an annealing approach which can produce closer to bulk-like behavior in the samples in terms of their elastic moduli. These results, combined with our experimental investigations of optical trap lifetimes in high vacuum at high trapping-laser intensity for both annealed and as-grown nanospheres, were used to provide a theoretical analysis of the effects of porosity and non-sphericity in the samples, identifying possible mechanisms of trapping instabilities for nanospheres with non-bulk-silica-like properties., Comment: 10 pages, 7 figures

We present experimental results on optical trapping of Yb-doped $\beta-$NaYF sub-wavelength-thickness high-aspect-ratio hexagonal prisms with a micron-scale radius. The prisms are trapped in vacuum using an optical standing wave, oriented with the normal vector to their face along the beam propagation direction, and exhibit characteristic modes of three translational and two torsional degrees of freedom. The measured motional spectra are compared with numerical simulations. This plate-like geometry simultaneously enables trapping with low photon-recoil-heating, high mass, and high trap frequency, potentially leading to advances in high frequency gravitational wave searches in the Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD), currently under construction. The material used here has previously been shown to exhibit internal cooling via laser refrigeration when optically trapped and illuminated with light of suitable wavelength. Employing such laser refrigeration methods in the context of our work may enable higher trapping intensity thus and higher trap frequencies for gravitational wave searches approaching the several hundred kHz range., Comment: Title and Fig. 1 updated, minor changes, prepared for journal submission

Progress in the quantum readout and control of mechanical devices from single atoms to large masses may enable a first generation of experiments probing the gravitational interaction in the quantum regime, conceivably within the next decade. In this Snowmass whitepaper, we briefly outline the possibilities and challenges facing the realization of these experiments. In particular, we emphasize the need for detailed theories of modifications to the usual effective QFT of gravitons in the infrared regime $E/L^3 \ll m_{\rm Pl}/\ell_{\rm Pl}^3$ in which these experiments operate, and relations to possible UV completions., Comment: Short contribution to Snowmass 2021. 5 pages, 1 figure. v2: typo fixed

High-energy physics is primarily concerned with uncovering the laws and principles that govern nature at the fundamental level. Research in this field usually relies on probing the boundaries of established physics, an undertaking typically associated with extreme energy and distance scales. It is therefore unsurprising that particle physics has traditionally been dominated by large-scale experimental methods often involving high energies, such as colliders and storage rings, cosmological and astrophysical observations, large-volume detector systems, etc. However, high-sensitivity measurements in smaller experiments, often performed at lower energies, are presently experiencing a surge in importance for particle physics for at least two reasons. First, they exploit synergies to adjacent areas of physics with recent advances in experimental techniques and technology. Together with intensified phenomenological explorations, these advances have led to the realization that challenges associated with weak couplings or the expected suppression factors for new physics can be overcome with such methods while maintaining a large degree of experimental control. Second, many of these measurements broaden the range of particle-physics phenomena and observables relative to the above set of more conventional methodologies. Combining such measurements with the conventional efforts above therefore casts both a wider and tighter net for possible effects originating from physics beyond the Standard Model (BSM). This paper argues that this assessment points at a growing impact of such methods and measurements on high-energy physics, and therefore warrants direct support as particle-physics research. Leveraging the recent rapid progress and bright outlook associated with such studies for high-energy physics, could yield high returns, but requires substantial and sustained efforts by funding agencies., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021, 55 pages, 5 figures

The applications of spin-based quantum sensors to measurements probing fundamental physics are surveyed. Experimental methods and technologies developed for quantum information science have rapidly advanced in recent years, and these tools enable increasingly precise control and measurement of spin dynamics. Theories of beyond-the-Standard-Model physics predict, for example, symmetry violating electromagnetic moments aligned with particle spins, exotic spin-dependent forces, coupling of spins to ultralight bosonic dark matter fields, and changes to the local environment that affect spins. Spin-based quantum sensors can be used to search for these myriad phenomena, and offer a methodology for tests of fundamental physics that is complementary to particle colliders and large scale particle detectors. Areas of technological development that can significantly enhance the sensitivity of spin-based quantum sensors to new physics are highlighted., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021, 23 pages, 4 figures; updated references and corrected typos

Static electric dipole moments of nondegenerate systems probe mass scales for physics beyond the Standard Model well beyond those reached directly at high energy colliders. Discrimination between different physics models, however, requires complementary searches in atomic-molecular-and-optical, nuclear and particle physics. In this report, we discuss the current status and prospects in the near future for a compelling suite of such experiments, along with developments needed in the encompassing theoretical framework., Comment: Contribution to Snowmass 2021; updated with community edits and endorsements

A wide range of quantum sensing technologies are rapidly being integrated into the experimental portfolio of the high energy physics community. Here we focus on sensing with atomic interferometers; mechanical devices read out with optical or microwave fields; precision spectroscopic methods with atomic, nuclear, and molecular systems; and trapped atoms and ions. We give a variety of detection targets relevant to particle physics for which these systems are uniquely poised to contribute. This includes experiments at the precision frontier like measurements of the electron dipole moment and electromagnetic fine structure constant and searches for fifth forces and modifications of Newton's law of gravity at micron-to-millimeter scales. It also includes experiments relevant to the cosmic frontier, especially searches for gravitional waves and a wide variety of dark matter candidates spanning heavy, WIMP-scale, light, and ultra-light mass ranges. We emphasize here the need for more developments both in sensor technology and integration into the broader particle physics community., Comment: contribution to Snowmass 2021 18 pages, 3 figures; updated author list and references, fixed typos

The objective of the proposed MAQRO mission is to harness space for achieving long free-fall times, extreme vacuum, nano-gravity, and cryogenic temperatures to test the foundations of physics in macroscopic quantum experiments. This will result in the development of novel quantum sensors and a means to probe the foundations of quantum physics at the interface with gravity. Earlier studies showed that the proposal is feasible but that several critical challenges remain, and key technologies need to be developed. These new technologies will open up the potential for achieving additional science objectives. The proposed research campaign aims to advance the state of the art and to perform the first macroscopic quantum experiments in space. Experiments on the ground, in micro-gravity, and in space will drive the proposed research campaign during the current decade to enable the implementation of MAQRO within the subsequent decade., Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures, submitted as a Research Campaign Whitepaper for the BPS2023 Decadal Survey

We summarize the discussions at a virtual Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space concerning the status of cold atom technologies, the prospective scientific and societal opportunities offered by their deployment in space, and the developments needed before cold atoms could be operated in space. The cold atom technologies discussed include atomic clocks, quantum gravimeters and accelerometers, and atom interferometers. Prospective applications include metrology, geodesy and measurement of terrestrial mass change due to, e.g., climate change, and fundamental science experiments such as tests of the equivalence principle, searches for dark matter, measurements of gravitational waves and tests of quantum mechanics. We review the current status of cold atom technologies and outline the requirements for their space qualification, including the development paths and the corresponding technical milestones, and identifying possible pathfinder missions to pave the way for missions to exploit the full potential of cold atoms in space. Finally, we present a first draft of a possible road-map for achieving these goals, that we propose for discussion by the interested cold atom, Earth Observation, fundamental physics and other prospective scientific user communities, together with ESA and national space and research funding agencies., Comment: Summary of the Community Workshop on Cold Atoms in Space and corresponding Road-map: https://indico.cern.ch/event/1064855/

The center-of-mass motion of optically trapped dielectric nanoparticles in vacuum is extremely well-decoupled from its environment, making a powerful tool for measurements of feeble sub-attonewton forces. We demonstrate a method to trap and manuever nanoparticles in an optical standing wave potential formed by retro-reflecting a laser beam from a metallic mirror surface. We can reliably position a $\sim 170$ nm diameter silica nanoparticle at distances of a few hundred nanometers to tens of microns from the surface of a gold-coated silicon mirror by transferring it from a single-beam tweezer trap into the standing wave potential. We can further scan the two dimensional space parallel to the mirror surface by using a piezo-driven mirror. This method enables three-dimensional scanning force sensing near surfaces using optically trapped nanoparticles, promising for high-sensitivity scanning force microscopy, tests of the Casimir effect, and tests of the gravitational inverse square law at micron scales., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures

ARIADNE is a nuclear-magnetic-resonance-based experiment that will search for novel axion-induced spin-dependent interactions between an unpolarized source mass rotor and a nearby sample of spin-polarized $^3$He gas. To detect feeble axion signals at the sub-atto-Tesla level, the experiment relies on low magnetic background and noise. We measure and characterize the magnetic field background from a prototype tungsten rotor. We show that the requirement is met with our current level of tungsten purity and demagnetization process. We further show that the noise is dominantly caused by a few discrete dipoles, likely due to a few impurities trapped inside the rotor during manufacturing. This is done via a numerical optimization pipeline which fits for the locations and magnetic moments of each dipole. We find that under the current demagnetization, the magnetic moment of trapped impurities is bounded at $10^{-9} \mathrm{A}\mathrm{m}^2$., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures

The Axion Resonant InterAction Detection Experiment (ARIADNE) is a collaborative effort to search for the QCD axion using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), where the axion acts as a mediator of spin-dependent forces between an unpolarized tungsten source mass and a sample of polarized helium-3 gas. Since the experiment involves precision measurement of a small magnetization, it relies on limiting ordinary magnetic noise with superconducting magnetic shielding. In addition to the shielding, proper characterization of the noise level from other sources is crucial. We investigate one such noise source in detail: the magnetic noise due to impurities and Johnson noise in the tungsten source mass., Comment: ARIADNE Collaboration

The Levitated Sensor Detector (LSD) is a compact resonant gravitational-wave (GW) detector based on optically trapped dielectric particles that is under construction. The LSD sensitivity has more favorable frequency scaling at high frequencies compared to laser interferometer detectors such as LIGO. We propose a method to substantially improve the sensitivity by optically levitating a multi-layered stack of dielectric discs. These stacks allow the use of a more massive levitated object while exhibiting minimal photon recoil heating due to light scattering. Over an order of magnitude of unexplored frequency space for GWs above 10 kHz is accessible with an instrument 10 to 100 meters in size. Particularly motivated sources in this frequency range are gravitationally bound states of QCD axions with decay constant near the grand unified theory (GUT) scale that form through black hole superradiance and annihilate to GWs. The LSD is also sensitive to GWs from binary coalescence of sub-solar-mass primordial black holes and as-yet unexplored new physics in the high-frequency GW window., Comment: 7 pages including references, 3 figures

We describe a variety of searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics which may be enabled in the coming years by the use of optically levitated masses in high vacuum. Such systems are expected to reach force and acceleration sensitivities approaching (and possibly eventually exceeding) the standard quantum limit over the next decade. For new forces or phenomena that couple to mass, high precision sensing using objects with masses in the fg-ng range have significant discovery potential for new physics. Such applications include tests of fundamental force laws, searches for non-neutrality of matter, high-frequency gravitational wave detectors, dark matter searches, and tests of quantum foundations using massive objects., Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures

Numerous astrophysical and cosmological observations are best explained by the existence of dark matter, a mass density which interacts only very weakly with visible, baryonic matter. Searching for the extremely weak signals produced by this dark matter strongly motivate the development of new, ultra-sensitive detector technologies. Paradigmatic advances in the control and readout of massive mechanical systems, in both the classical and quantum regimes, have enabled unprecedented levels of sensitivity. In this white paper, we outline recent ideas in the potential use of a range of solid-state mechanical sensing technologies to aid in the search for dark matter in a number of energy scales and with a variety of coupling mechanisms., Comment: White paper/overview based on a workshop held at the Joint Quantum Institute, Maryland. 12 pages, 4 figures, table summarizing many experimental systems, 118 references

We discuss the use of optical cavities as tools to search for dark matter (DM) composed of virialized ultra-light fields (VULFs). Such fields could lead to oscillating fundamental constants, resulting in oscillations of the length of rigid bodies. We propose searching for these effects via differential strain measurement of rigid and suspended-mirror cavities. We estimate that more than two orders of magnitude of unexplored phase space for VULF DM couplings can be probed at VULF Compton frequencies in the audible range of 0.1-10 kHz., Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, title updated

Report of the first workshop to identify approaches and techniques in the domain of quantum sensing that can be utilized by future High Energy Physics applications to further the scientific goals of High Energy Physics., Comment: 38 pages, report of the first workshop on Quantum Sensing for High Energy Physics, held at Argonne National Laboratory, December 12-14, 2017

Understanding gravity in the framework of quantum mechanics is one of the great challenges in modern physics. Along this line, a prime question is to find whether gravity is a quantum entity subject to the rules of quantum mechanics. It is fair to say that there are no feasible ideas yet to test the quantum coherent behaviour of gravity directly in a laboratory experiment. Here, we introduce an idea for such a test based on the principle that two objects cannot be entangled without a quantum mediator. We show that despite the weakness of gravity, the phase evolution induced by the gravitational interaction of two micron size test masses in adjacent matter-wave interferometers can detectably entangle them even when they are placed far apart enough to keep Casimir-Polder forces at bay. We provide a prescription for witnessing this entanglement, which certifies gravity as a quantum coherent mediator, through simple correlation measurements between two spins: one embedded in each test mass. Fundamentally, the above entanglement is shown to certify the presence of non-zero off-diagonal terms in the coherent state basis of the gravitational field modes., Comment: 7 pages

This white paper summarizes the workshop "U.S. Cosmic Visions: New Ideas in Dark Matter" held at University of Maryland on March 23-25, 2017., Comment: 102 pages + references

In recent years quantum phenomena have been experimentally demonstrated on variety of optomechanical systems ranging from micro-oscillators to photonic crystals. Since single photon couplings are quite small, most experimental approaches rely on the realization of high finesse Fabry-Perot cavities in order to enhance the effective coupling. Here we show that by exploiting a, long path, low finesse fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer ground state cooling can be achieved. We model a 100 m long cavity with a finesse of 10 and analyze the impact of additional noise sources arising from the fiber. As a mechanical oscillator we consider a levitated microdisk but the same approach could be applied to other optomechanical systems., Comment: 5 pages, 5 figures

We discuss the use of atom interferometry as a tool to search for Dark Matter (DM) composed of ultra-light scalar fields. Previous work on ultra-light DM detection using accelerometers has considered the possibility of equivalence principle violating effects whereby gradients in the dark matter field can directly produce relative accelerations between media of differing composition. In atom interferometers, we find that time-varying phase signals from oscillatory, or dilaton-like, DM can also arise due to changes in the atom rest mass that can occur between light-pulses throughout the interferometer sequence as well as changes in the earth's gravitational field. We estimate that several orders of magnitude of unexplored phase space for light DM fields can be probed with our proposed method., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, typos corrected, referee comments included, main results unchanged

Optically trapped nanospheres in high-vaccum experience little friction and hence are promising for ultra-sensitive force detection. Here we demonstrate measurement times exceeding $10^5$ seconds and zeptonewton force sensitivity with laser-cooled silica nanospheres trapped in an optical lattice. The sensitivity achieved exceeds that of conventional room-temperature solid-state force sensors, and enables a variety of applications including electric field sensing, inertial sensing, and gravimetry. The optical potential allows the particle to be confined in a number of possible trapping sites, with precise localization at the anti-nodes of the optical standing wave. By studying the motion of a particle which has been moved to an adjacent trapping site, the known spacing of the lattice anti-nodes can be used to calibrate the displacement spectrum of the particle. Finally, we study the dependence of the trap stability and lifetime on the laser intensity and gas pressure, and examine the heating rate of the particle in high vacuum in the absence of optical feedback cooling., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures, minor changes, typos corrected, references added

We describe the implementation of laser-cooled silica microspheres as force sensors in a dual-beam optical dipole trap in high vacuum. Using this system we have demonstrated trap lifetimes exceeding several days, attonewton force detection capability, and wide tunability in trapping and cooling parameters. Measurements have been performed with charged and neutral beads to calibrate the sensitivity of the detector. This work establishes the suitability of dual beam optical dipole traps for precision force measurement in high vacuum with long averaging times, and enables future applications including the study of gravitational inverse square law violations at short range, Casimir forces, acceleration sensing, and quantum opto-mechanics., Comment: 6 pages, 5 figures, references added, minor changes, fig 4 replaced

Magnetic resonance in an ensemble of laser-cooled trapped Rb atoms is excited using a micro- cantilever with a magnetic tip. The cantilever is mounted on a multi-layer chip designed to capture, cool, and magnetically transport cold atoms. The coupling is observed by measuring the loss from a magnetic trap as the oscillating cantilever induces Zeeman state transitions in the atoms. Interfacing cold atoms with mechanical devices could enable probing and manipulating atomic spins with nanometer spatial resolution and single-spin sensitivity, leading to new capabilities in quantum computation, quantum simulation, or precision sensing., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

Optically trapped dielectric objects are well suited for reaching the quantum regime of their center of mass motion in an ultra-high vacuum environment. We show that ground state cooling of an optically trapped nanosphere is achievable when starting at room temperature, by sympathetic cooling of a cold atomic gas optically coupled to the nanoparticle. Unlike cavity cooling in the resolved sideband limit, this system requires only a modest cavity finesse and it allows the cooling to be turned off, permitting subsequent observation of strongly-coupled dynamics between the atoms and sphere. Nanospheres cooled to their quantum ground state could have applications in quantum information science or in precision sensing., Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures

We describe a method for sensing short range forces using matter wave interference in dielectric nanospheres. When compared with atom interferometers, the larger mass of the nanosphere results in reduced wave packet expansion, enabling investigations of forces nearer to surfaces in a free-fall interferometer. By laser cooling a nanosphere to the ground state of an optical potential and releasing it by turning off the optical trap, acceleration sensing at the $10^{-8}$m/s$^2$ level is possible. The approach can yield improved sensitivity to Yukawa-type deviations from Newtonian gravity at the $5$ $\mu$m length scale by a factor of $10^4$ over current limits., Comment: 5 pages, 4 figures

A recent neutron interferometry experiment claims to demonstrate a paradoxical phenomena dubbed the "quantum Cheshire Cat" \cite{Denkmayr2014}. We have reproduced and extended these results with an equivalent optical interferometer. The results suggest that the photon travels through one arm of the interferometer, while its polarization travels through the other. However, we show that these experimental results belong to the domain where quantum and classical wave theories coincide; there is nothing uniquely quantum about the illusion of this cheshire cat., Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures

We describe a method based on precision magnetometry that can extend the search for axion-mediated spin-dependent forces by several orders of magnitude. By combining techniques used in nuclear magnetic resonance and short-distance tests of gravity, our approach can substantially improve upon current experimental limits set by astrophysics, and probe deep into the theoretically interesting regime for the Peccei-Quinn (PQ) axion. Our method is sensitive to PQ axion decay constants between 10^9 and 10^12 GeV or axion masses between 10^-6 and 10^-3 eV, independent of the cosmic axion abundance., Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, 1 table, submitted to PRL

We review recent works on optomechanics of optically trapped microspheres and nanoparticles in vacuum, which provide an ideal system for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics and ultrasensitive force detection. An optically trapped particle in vacuum has an ultrahigh mechanical quality factor as it is well-isolated from the thermal environment. Its oscillation frequency can be tuned in real time by changing the power of the trapping laser. Furthermore, an optically trapped particle in vacuum may rotate freely, a unique property that does not exist in clamped mechanical oscillators. In this review, we will introduce the current status of optical trapping of dielectric particles in air and vacuum, Brownian motion of an optically trapped particle at room temperature, Feedback cooling and cavity cooling of the Brownian motion. We will also discuss about using optically trapped dielectric particles for studying macroscopic quantum mechanics and ultrasensitive force detection. Applications range from creating macroscopic Schr{\"{o}}dinger's cat state, testing objective collapse models of quantum wavefunctions, measuring Casimir force, searching short-range non-Newtonian gravity, to detecting gravitational waves., Comment: review article, 16 pages

We propose a tunable resonant sensor to detect gravitational waves in the frequency range of 50-300 kHz using optically trapped and cooled dielectric microspheres or micro-discs. The technique we describe can exceed the sensitivity of laser-based gravitational wave observatories in this frequency range, using an instrument of only a few percent of their size. Such a device extends the search volume for gravitational wave sources above 100 kHz by 1 to 3 orders of magnitude, and could detect monochromatic gravitational radiation from the annihilation of QCD axions in the cloud they form around stellar mass black holes within our galaxy due to the superradiance effect., Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures, 2 tables, submitted to PRL -- v2: GR calculation corrected, size of the signal and experimental geometry unaffected, cavity response included in sensitivity plot and LIGO sensitivity curves updated

We propose an experiment using optically trapped and cooled dielectric microspheres for the detection of short-range forces. The center-of-mass motion of a microsphere trapped in vacuum can experience extremely low dissipation and quality factors of $10^{12}$, leading to yoctonewton force sensitivity. Trapping the sphere in an optical field enables positioning at less than 1 $\mu$m from a surface, a regime where exotic new forces may exist. We expect that the proposed system could advance the search for non-Newtonian gravity forces via an enhanced sensitivity of $10^5-10^7$ over current experiments at the 1 $\mu$m length scale. Moreover, our system may be useful for characterizing other short-range physics such as Casimir forces., Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, minor changes, Figs. 1 and 2 replaced

We propose an experiment utilizing an array of cooled micro-cantilevers coupled to a sample of ultra-cold atoms trapped near a micro-fabricated surface. The cantilevers allow individual lattice site addressing for atomic state control and readout, and potentially may be useful in optical lattice quantum computation schemes. Assuming resonators can be cooled to their vibrational ground state, the implementation of a two-qubit controlled-NOT gate with atomic internal states and the motional states of the resonator is described. We also consider a protocol for entangling two or more cantilevers on the atom chip with different resonance frequencies, using the trapped atoms as an intermediary. Although similar experiments could be carried out with magnetic microchip traps, the optical confinement scheme we consider may exhibit reduced near-field magnetic noise and decoherence. Prospects for using this novel system for tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales or quantum information processing are discussed., Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures

Several recent theories suggest that light moduli or particles in "large" extra dimensions could mediate macroscopic forces exceeding gravitational strength at length scales below a millimeter. Such new forces can be parameterized as a Yukawa-type correction to the Newtonian potential of strength $\alpha$ relative to gravity and range $\lambda$. To extend the search for such new physics we have improved our apparatus utilizing cryogenic micro-cantilevers capable of measuring attonewton forces, which now includes a switchable magnetic force for calibration. Our most recent experimental constraints on Yukawa-type deviations from Newtonian gravity are more than three times as stringent as our previously published results, and represent the best bound in the range of 5 - 15 microns, with a 95 percent confidence exclusion of forces with $|\alpha| > 14,000$ at $\lambda$ = 10 microns., Comment: 12 pages, 9 figures, accepted for publication in PRD. Minor changes, replaced and corrected Figs 4,5,8