Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: Electric quadrupole traps are a leading technology for suspending charged objects ranging in size from single protons to atomic and molecular ions, and even to nano- and micron-sized bodies. If the levitated objects' charge distribution contains multipoles, the time-dependent trapping fields can significantly impact its rotational motion. Here, we experimentally observe the transition from librational motion to a regime where a microparticle rotates in sync with the trap drive. We theoretically explain that the locked motion is caused by the torques acting on the electric quadrupole, which can thus be expected to be ubiquitous for nonspherical micro-objects. We demonstrate the versatility of this method by spinning diverse particles such as silicon microrods, magnetic particles, and microdiamonds. For diamonds, we show that the rotational motion can be precisely characterized by stroboscopic readout of the embedded nitrogen vacancy centers. Given its generality, we anticipate that this technique will become an important tool for future experiments in levitated quantum nanomechanics.
Source: Physical Review Letters
Institutions: École Normale Supérieure - PSL, Sorbonne Université, Laboratoire de Physique de l'Ecole Normale Supérieure, Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics, Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technology, City College of New York, Institut National des Sciences Appliquées de Rennes, University of Basel, Universität Ulm
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4405424426