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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 55: Optomechanics
Q 55.6: Talk
Thursday, March 5, 2026, 15:45–16:00, P 2
Probing Quantum Mechanics with Nanorotors — Stephan Troyer1, •Florian Fechtel1, Henning Rudolph2, Benjamin Stickler3, Uroš Delić4, and Markus Arndt1 — 1University of Vienna, VDS, VCQ, Faculty of Physics, Boltzmanngasse 5, A-1090 Vienna, Austria — 2University of Duisburg-Essen, Faculty of Physics, Lotharstraße 1, 47057 Duisburg, Germany — 3Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, 89069 Ulm, Germany — 4TU Wien, Stadionallee 2, 1020 Vienna, Austria
Levitated nanoparticles are promising candidates for observing quantum effects and even matter-wave interference at unprecedented mass scales. In this regime, the rotational dynamics are particularly intriguing, as the nonlinear motion on a compact, closed configuration space provides a rich platform for phenomena such as interference or quantum tunnelling. To access these effects, quantum control over the rotational motion is essential. For instance, rotational revival necessitates a tightly aligned nanorotor, motivating cooling of at least two librational modes. Coherent scattering cooling provides a versatile method capable of coupling simultaneously to multiple motional degrees of freedom. In our implementation, a cavity supporting two orthogonal optical modes couples each mode to one librational mode. When the frequency splitting between the librational modes is comparable to the cavity linewidth, efficient two-mode cooling becomes experimentally feasible. Aligning a nanorotor with a well-characterized geometry that supports millisecond-scale revival times will open the door to future experiments on rotational interference.
Keywords: Rotational Optomechanics; Rotational Interference; Cavity Optomechanics; Matter-Wave Interference; Librational Cooling