Full Rotational Control of Levitated Silicon Nanorods

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates full control over the translational and rotational motion of a levitated silicon nanorod using optical trapping and polarization manipulation, enabling advanced studies in rotational optomechanics and thermodynamics.

Contribution

It introduces a method for complete control of both position and rotation of levitated nanoparticles via polarization tuning of the trapping light.

Findings

Achieved trapping and alignment of silicon nanorods.

Induced and tuned rotation frequencies up to hundreds of kHz.

Opened pathways for rotational quantum optomechanics and thermodynamics studies.

Abstract

We study a nanofabricated silicon rod levitated in an optical trap. By manipulating the polarization of the light we gain full control over the ro-translational dynamics of the rod. We are able to trap both its centre-of-mass and align it along the linear polarization of the laser field. The rod can be set into rotation at a tuned frequency by exploiting the radiation pressure exerted by elliptically polarized light. The rotational motion of the rod dynamically modifies the optical potential, which allows tuning of the rotational frequency over hundreds of Kilohertz. This ability to trap and control the motion and alignment of nanoparticles opens up the field of rotational optomechanics, rotational ground state cooling and the study of rotational thermodynamics in the underdamped regime.