Fast Quantum Interference of a Nanoparticle via Optical Potential Control

Understand

We introduce and theoretically analyze a scheme to prepare and detect non-Gaussian quantum states of an optically levitated particle via the interaction with a light pulse that generates cubic and inverted potentials.

• We show that this allows operating on short time- and lengthscales, which significantly reduces the demands on decoherence rates in such experiments.
• Specifically, our scheme predicts the observation of interference of nanoparticles with a mass above $10^8$ atomic mass units delocalised over several nanometers, on timescales of milliseconds, when operated at vacuum levels around $10^{-10}$~mbar and at room temperature.
• We discuss the prospect of using this approach for coherently splitting the wavepacket of massive dielectric objects using neither projective measurements nor an internal level structure.