Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 28, 2026
08:50
High-Speed Magnetic Tweezers for Nanomechanical Measurements on Force-Sensitive Elements
Published on: May 12, 2023
Nanomechanical Sensor Resolving Impulsive Forces below Its Zero-Point Fluctuations
Martynas Skrabulis1,2, Martin Colombano Sosa1,2, Nicola Carlon Zambon3
1ETH Zürich, Photonics Laboratory, 8093 Zürich, Switzerland.
Physical Review Letters
|June 26, 2026
Summary
Researchers measured ultra-small impulsive forces using an optically levitated nanoparticle. This quantum sensor achieved a force resolution below the zero-point uncertainty, advancing mechanical transducer sensitivity.
Area of Science:
- Quantum mechanics
- Optomechanics
- Nanotechnology
Background:
- Mechanical transducer sensitivity is fundamentally limited by quantum fluctuations.
- Measuring forces below the zero-point uncertainty is a significant challenge.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a novel method for measuring impulsive forces below the zero-point momentum uncertainty.
- To demonstrate the capability of an optically levitated nanoparticle as a quantum sensor.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing an optically levitated nanoparticle as the core sensing element.
- Employing reversible squeezing of the nanoparticle's center-of-mass motion.
- Coherently amplifying perturbations to enhance measurement sensitivity.
Main Results:
- Achieved an impulsive-force resolution of 6.9 keV/c.
- Demonstrated a force resolution 0.6 dB below the sensor's zero-point value.
- Successfully measured forces smaller than the particle's zero-point momentum uncertainty.
Conclusions:
- Optically levitated nanoparticles can surpass classical sensitivity limits in force measurement.
- This technique opens new avenues for high-precision force sensing at the quantum level.
- The demonstrated method advances the field of quantum-limited measurement.
