Nanomechanical sensor resolving impulsive forces below its zero-point fluctuations

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Skrabulis, Martynas, Sosa, Martin Colombano, Zambon, Nicola Carlon, Militaru, Andrei, Rossi, Massimiliano, Frimmer, Martin, Novotny, Lukas
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Skrabulis, Martynas
Sosa, Martin Colombano
Zambon, Nicola Carlon
Militaru, Andrei
Rossi, Massimiliano
Frimmer, Martin
Novotny, Lukas
author_facet Skrabulis, Martynas
Sosa, Martin Colombano
Zambon, Nicola Carlon
Militaru, Andrei
Rossi, Massimiliano
Frimmer, Martin
Novotny, Lukas
contents The sensitivity of a mechanical transducer is ultimately limited by its inherent quantum fluctuations. Here, we use an optically levitated nanoparticle to measure impulsive forces smaller than the particle's zero-point momentum uncertainty. Our approach relies on reversibly squeezing the levitated particle's center-of-mass motion to coherently amplify the perturbation. We demonstrate resolving single impulsive-force kicks as small as 6.9 keV/c, a value 0.6 dB below the sensor's zero-point value.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_19392
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Nanomechanical sensor resolving impulsive forces below its zero-point fluctuations
Skrabulis, Martynas
Sosa, Martin Colombano
Zambon, Nicola Carlon
Militaru, Andrei
Rossi, Massimiliano
Frimmer, Martin
Novotny, Lukas
Quantum Physics
The sensitivity of a mechanical transducer is ultimately limited by its inherent quantum fluctuations. Here, we use an optically levitated nanoparticle to measure impulsive forces smaller than the particle's zero-point momentum uncertainty. Our approach relies on reversibly squeezing the levitated particle's center-of-mass motion to coherently amplify the perturbation. We demonstrate resolving single impulsive-force kicks as small as 6.9 keV/c, a value 0.6 dB below the sensor's zero-point value.
title Nanomechanical sensor resolving impulsive forces below its zero-point fluctuations
topic Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.19392