Cavity cooling of an optically levitated submicron particle

Nikolai Kiesel, Florian Blaser, Uroš Delić, David Grass, Rainer Kaltenbaek, and Markus Aspelmeyer
The coupling of a levitated submicron particle and an optical cavity field promises access to a unique parameter regime both for macroscopic quantum experiments and for high-precision force sensing. We report a demonstration of such controlled interactions by cavity cooling the center-of-mass motion of an optically trapped submicron particle. This paves the way for a light–matter interface that can enable room-temperature quantum experiments with mesoscopic mechanical systems.
DOI