All-optical sub-Kelvin sympathetic cooling of a levitated microsphere in vacuum

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates all-optical sympathetic cooling of a levitated microsphere to sub-Kelvin temperatures via optical binding to a feedback-cooled particle, advancing quantum control and sensing in levitated optomechanics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel all-optical sympathetic cooling method for levitated microspheres, enabling sub-Kelvin temperatures without direct contact.

Findings

Achieved sub-Kelvin cooling of a microsphere in vacuum.

Demonstrated optical binding as a mediator for sympathetic cooling.

Opened pathways for quantum entanglement and sensing with multiple particles.

Abstract

We demonstrate all-optical sympathetic cooling of a laser-trapped microsphere to sub-Kelvin temperatures, mediate by optical binding to a feedback-cooled adjacent particle. Our study opens prospects for multi-particle quantum entanglement and sensing in levitated optomechanics.