Nonlinear dynamics and millikelvin cavity-cooling of levitated nanoparticles

Understand

Optomechanical systems explore and exploit the coupling between light and the mechanical motion of matter.

• A nonlinear coupling offers access to rich new physics, in both the quantum and classical regimes.
• We investigate a dynamic, as opposed to the usually studied static, nonlinear optomechanical system, comprising of a nanosphere levitated and cooled in a hybrid electro-optical trap.
• An optical cavity offers readout of both linear-in-position and quadratic-in-position (nonlinear) light-matter coupling, whilst simultaneously cooling the nanosphere to millikelvin temperatures for indefinite periods of time in high vacuum.