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arXiv:2509.17081

Proposal for creating spatial superposition of a large mass in a RF trap

Martine Schut, Tiong, Jackson, Valerio Scarani

Published Sep 21, 2025• 0 citations
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Abstract

Engineering coherent spatial superpositions of levitated large masses is an ongoing challenge. Borrowing from recent experimental work, we consider a charged mass of hundreds of nanometers size (``nanoparticle'') co-trapped with an ion in a Paul trap, and propose a scheme to manipulate its spatial state through the Coulomb interaction with the ion. We focus on the achievable delocalisation, only sketching the other challenges of the protocol (initial cooling, preservation of coherence for long-enough times, and detection). We prove that our scheme can displace coherently the nanoparticle by a few nanometers, and give an estimate of the allowed noise. Though smaller than the nanoparticle's size, the nanoparticle displacement is much larger than the wavefunction of the trap's ground state. Thus the co-trapping scheme is in principle able to demonstrate the delocalisation of a charged nanoparticle if the required noise isolation can be realised.

DOI
10.48550/arxiv.2509.17081

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Engineering coherent spatial superpositions of levitated large masses is an ongoing challenge. Borrowing from recent experimental work, we consider a charged mass of hundreds of nanometers size (``nanoparticle'') co-trapped with an ion in a Paul trap, and propose a scheme to manipulate its spatial state through the Coulomb interaction with the ion. We focus on the achievable delocalisation, only sketching the other challenges of the protocol (initial cooling, preservation of coherence for long-enough times, and detection). We prove that our scheme can displace coherently the nanoparticle by a few nanometers, and give an estimate of the allowed noise. Though smaller than the nanoparticle's size, the nanoparticle displacement is much larger than the wavefunction of the trap's ground state. Thus the co-trapping scheme is in principle able to demonstrate the delocalisation of a charged nanoparticle if the required noise isolation can be realised.
We propose to optimally control the harmonic potential of a levitated nanoparticle to quantum delocalize its center-of-mass motional state to a length scale orders of magnitude larger than the quantum zero-point motion. Using a bang-bang control of the harmonic potential, including the possibility of inverting it, the initial ground-state-cooled levitated nanoparticle coherently expands to large scales and then contracts to the initial state in a time-optimal way. We show that this fast loop protocol can be used to enhance force sensing as well as to dramatically boost the entangling rate of two weakly interacting nanoparticles. We parameterize the performance of the protocol, and therefore the macroscopic quantum regime that could be explored, as a function of displacement and frequency noise in the nanoparticle's center-of-mass motion. This noise analysis accounts for the sources of decoherence relevant to current experiments.
Levitated nanoparticles in vacuum are prime candidates for generating macroscopic quantum superposition states of massive objects. Most protocols for preparing these states necessitate coherent expansion beyond the scale of the zero-point motion to produce sufficiently delocalized and pure phase-space distributions. Here, we spatially expand and subsequently recontract the thermal state of a levitated nanoparticle by modifying the stiffness of the trap holding the particle. We achieve state-expansion factors of 25 in standard deviation for a particle initially feedback-cooled to a center-of-mass thermal state of \SI{155}{\milli\kelvin}. Our method relies on a hybrid scheme combining an optical trap, for cooling and measuring the particle's motion, with a Paul trap for expanding its state. Consequently, state expansion occurs devoid of measurement backaction from photon recoil, making this approach suitable for coherent wavefunction expansion in future experiments.
Realizing quantum superpositions of massive objects provides a pathway to explore the quantum-to-classical transition. Levitated nanoparticles appear as a promising platform for this purpose due to their large mass and unbound motion. This thesis follows the proposal that particle evolution in a double-well potential expands the particle’s motional state within an inverted harmonic region, while the quartic potential generates the non-Gaussian states needed to certify quantum delocalization. As this protocol has been recently developed, we perform experiments in the classical regime as an important milestone to identify the technical challenges and the decoherence sources. While the nanoparticle’s motional state grows linearly under free evolution, inverted harmonic potentials offer exponentially accelerated state expansion. In this thesis, we experimentally demonstrate the expansion of the center-of-mass state of a 125 nm silica nanoparticle from an initial position uncertainty of 45.6 pm to 43.4 nm within 260 μs. This expansion represents a 952-fold increase, reaching a state size comparable to the particle’s radius, and is achieved by employing an electrostatic inverted potential to disable decoherence from photon recoil. The incoherent dynamics allow us to estimate the remaining decoherence sources in the dark. To accomplish dark dynamics, we developed two segmented linear Paul trap devices providing 2D confinement while generating DC potentials in the third axis of motion: a planar micro-fabricated chip and a PCB based wheel trap. Simulations of tunable double-well potentials of tens to hundreds of micrometers based on the device layouts are performed alongside a study of the resulting classical non-Gaussian states. This work marks a key advancement in the effort to generate macroscopic quantum superpositions at unprecedented mass and length scales.
We develop the theory describing the quantum coupled dynamics of the center-of-mass motion of a nanoparticle and an ensemble of ions co-trapped in a dual-frequency linear Paul trap. We first derive analytical expressions for the motional frequencies and classical trajectories of both nanoparticle and ions. We then derive a quantum master equation for the ion-nanoparticle system and quantify the sympathetic cooling of the nanoparticle motion enabled by its Coulomb coupling to a continuously Doppler-cooled ion. We predict that motional cooling down to sub-kelvin temperatures is achievable in state-of-the-art experiments even in the absence of motional feedback and in the presence of micromotion. We then extend our analysis to an ensemble of NNN ions, predicting a linear increase of the cooling rate as a function of NNN and motional cooling of the nanoparticle down to tenths of millikelvin in current experimental platforms. Our work establishes the theoretical toolbox needed to explore the ion-assisted preparation of non-Gaussian motional states of levitated nanoparticles.
Levitated nanoparticles are a forerunner as an experimental platform to test the limits of quantum mechanics at a macroscopic scale. Some important initial steps have been made towards preparing a macroscopic quantum state of a relatively massive (femtogram) particle. Specifically, the community has achieved ground-state cooling of the center-of-mass motion of a nanoparticle levitated in an optical trap. One crucial further step is now to expand the wavefunction of the particle. This step should happen in the presence of a minimum of decoherence, which makes evolution in an optical trap (inevitably exerting measurement backaction) unsuitable.
A nanoscale object evidenced in a nonclassical state of its center of mass will hugely extend the boundaries of quantum mechanics. To obtain a practical scheme for the same, we exploit a hitherto unexplored coupled system: an atom and a nanoparticle coupled by an optical field. We show how to control the center of mass of a large $\ensuremath{\sim}500$-nm nanoparticle using the internal state of the atom so as to create, as well as detect, nonclassical motional states of the nanoparticle. Specifically, we consider a setup based on a silica nanoparticle coupled to a cesium atom and discuss a protocol for preparing and verifying a Schr\"odinger-cat state of the nanoparticle that does not require cooling to the motional ground state. We show that the existence of the superposition can be revealed using the Earth's gravitational field using a method that is insensitive to the most common sources of decoherence and works for any initial state of the nanoparticle.