Abstract
We consider a nanoparticle levitated in a Paul trap in ultrahigh cryogenic vacuum, and look for the conditions which allow for a stringent noninterferometric test of spontaneous collapse models. In particular we compare different possible techniques to detect the particle motion. Key conditions which need to be achieved are extremely low residual pressure and the ability to detect the particle at ultralow power. We compare three different detection approaches based, respectively, on an optical cavity, an optical tweezer, and an electrical readout, and for each one we assess advantages, drawbacks, and technical challenges.
8 More- Received 20 March 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevA.100.012119
©2019 American Physical Society
Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)
Synopsis
Could Levitated Nanoparticles Test Spontaneous Wave-Function Collapse?
Published 16 July 2019
The motion of hovering nanoparticles might reveal that quantum wave functions collapse spontaneously, but three common measurement methods are not ready for prime time.
See more in Physics