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arXiv:2007.04434

Optical and electrical feedback cooling of a silica nanoparticle in a Paul trap

Lorenzo Dania, Dmitry S. Bykov, Matthias Samuel Günter Knoll, Pau Mestres, Tracy E. Northup

Published Jul 5, 2020• 1 citation
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

All three motional modes of a charged dielectric nanoparticle in a Paul trap are cooled by direct feedback to temperatures of a few mK. We test two methods, one based on electrical forces and the other on optical forces; for both methods, we find similar cooling efficiencies. Cooling is characterized for both feedback forces as a function of feedback parameters, background pressure, and the particle’s position.

DOI
10.1103/physrevresearch.3.013018

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All three motional modes of a charged dielectric nanoparticle in a Paul trap are cooled by direct feedback to temperatures of a few mK. We test two methods, one based on electrical forces and the other on optical forces; for both methods, we find similar cooling efficiencies. Cooling is characterized for both feedback forces as a function of feedback parameters, background pressure, and the particle’s position.
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We demonstrate a simple and robust geometry for optical trapping in vacuum of a single nanoparticle based on a parabolic mirror and the optical gradient force, and we demonstrate rapid parametric feedback cooling of all three motional degrees of freedom from room temperature to a few mK. A single laser at 1550nm, and a single photodiode, are used for trapping, position detection, and cooling for all three dimensions. Particles with diameters from 26nm to 160nm are trapped without feedback to 10−5^{-5}−5mbar and with feedback engaged the pressure is reduced to 10−6^{-6}−6mbar. Modifications to the harmonic motion in the presence of noise and feedback are studied, and an experimental mechanical quality factor >4×107>4\times 10^7>4×107 is estimated.