Super-resolution imaging of a low frequency levitated oscillator

Year: 2019

Authors: Bullier N.P., Pontin A., Barker P.F.

Autors Affiliation: UCL, Dept Phys & Astron, Gower St, London WC1E 6BT, England.

Abstract: We describe the measurement of the secular motion of a levitated nanoparticle in a Paul trap with a CMOS camera. This simple method enables us to reach signal-to-noise ratios as good as 10(6) with a displacement sensitivity better than 10(-16) m(2)/Hz. This method can be used to extract trap parameters as well as the properties of the levitated particles. We demonstrate continuous monitoring of the particle dynamics on time scales of the order of weeks. We show that by using the improvement given by super-resolution imaging, a significant reduction in the noise floor can be attained, with an increase in the bandwidth of the force sensitivity. This approach represents a competitive alternative to standard optical detection for a range of low frequency oscillators where low optical powers are required.

Journal/Review: REVIEW OF SCIENTIFIC INSTRUMENTS

Volume: 90 (9)      Pages from: 93201-1  to: 93201-5

More Information: The authors acknowledge funding from the EPSRC Grant No. EP/N031105/1 and the EU H2020 FET project TEQ (Grant No. 766900). N.P.B. acknowledges funding from the EPSRC Grant No. EP/L015242/1. A.P. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant Agreement No. 749709.
KeyWords: Single-molecule Localization
DOI: 10.1063/1.5108807