Dry launching of silica nanoparticles in vacuum

Author(s)
Ayub Khodaee, Kahan Dare, Aisling Johnson, Uroš Delić, Markus Aspelmeyer
Abstract

Clean loading of silica nanoparticles with a radius as small as ∼50 nm is required for experiments in levitated optomechanics that operate in ultra-high vacuum. We present a cheap and simple experimental method for dry launching of silica nanoparticles by shaking from a polytetrafluoroethylene surface (PTFE). We report on the successful launching of single silica nanoparticles with a minimum radius of 43 nm, which is enabled by the low stiction to the launching surface. Nanoparticles with radii of 43 and 71.5 nm are launched with a high flux and small spread. The measured velocities are significantly smaller than 1 m/s. The demonstrated launching method allows for controlled loading of dry nanoparticles with radii as small as 43 nm into optical traps in (ultra-)high vacuum, although we anticipate that loading of smaller sizes is equally feasible.

Organisation(s)
Quantum Optics, Quantum Nanophysics and Quantum Information
External organisation(s)
Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften (ÖAW)
Journal
AIP Advances
Volume
12
No. of pages
5
ISSN
2158-3226
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1063/5.0124029
Publication date
12-2022
Peer reviewed
Yes
Austrian Fields of Science 2012
103026 Quantum optics
ASJC Scopus subject areas
Physics and Astronomy(all)
Portal url
https://ucris.univie.ac.at/portal/en/publications/dry-launching-of-silica-nanoparticles-in-vacuum(a8490e54-6ce4-4c32-b280-6585ea7dad8f).html