Wigner Function Reconstruction in Levitated Optomechanics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates the reconstruction of the Wigner function for a levitated optomechanical system using homodyne detection, enabling quantum state preparation without an optical cavity.

Contribution

It introduces a method for Wigner function reconstruction in levitated particles using homodyne detection without requiring an optical cavity.

Findings

Successfully reconstructed the Wigner function of a thermal state.

Experimental data matched the expected Gaussian distribution.

Shows potential for quantum state preparation in levitated systems.

Abstract

We demonstrate the reconstruction of the Wigner function from marginal distributions of the motion of a single trapped particle using homodyne detection. We show that it is possible to generate quantum states of levitated optomechanical systems even under the effect of continuous measurement by the trapping laser light. We describe the opto-mechanical coupling for the case of the particle trapped by a free-space focused laser beam, explicitly for the case without an optical cavity. We use the scheme to reconstruct the Wigner function of experimental data in perfect agreement with the expected Gaussian distribution of a thermal state of motion. This opens a route for quantum state preparation in levitated optomechanics.