Levitodynamics: An analysis of quantum fluctuations based on stochastic mechanics

TL;DR

This paper analyzes quantum fluctuations in levitated mesoscopic objects using stochastic mechanics, reproducing recent experimental results and providing a dynamic, path-based understanding of quantum behavior.

Contribution

It introduces a stochastic mechanics approach to analyze quantum fluctuations in levitated particles, aligning with recent experimental findings.

Findings

Reproduces experimental observations of quantum fluctuations in levitated particles

Provides a phase space dynamics interpretation using coherent states

Demonstrates the applicability of stochastic mechanics to levitodynamics

Abstract

Levitodynamics, i.e., the levitation of objects of mesoscopic size has made huge progress in the last decade, giving rise to new experimental opportunities for instance in materials science, but also allowing to address questions of fundamental physics for the first time. It has become possible to cool a levitated particle of mesoscopic size down to its motional ground state and to observe its motion driven by quantum fluctuations. Such an experiment is ideally suited for an analysis within the stochastic mechanics approach to quantum mechanics, which allows for a dynamic description of individual particle paths. We show that within our approach we reproduce the findings of a recent experiment [Magrini et al., Nature 595-373-377 (2021)]. The phase space dynamics reported there based on a quantum optimal control using Kalman filtering can be understood using the concept of coherent states.