Parametric feedback cooling of levitated optomechanics in a parabolic mirror trap

Levitated optomechanics, a new experimental physics platform, holds promise for fundamental science and quantum technological sensing applications. We demonstrate a simple and robust geometry for optical trapping in vacuum of a single nanoparticle based on a parabolic mirror and the optical gradient force. We demonstrate parametric feedback cooling of all three motional degrees of freedom from room temperature to a few millikelvin. A single laser at 1550 nm and a single photodiode are used for trapping, position detection, and cooling for all three dimensions. Particles with diameters from 26 to 160 nm are trapped without feedback to 10−5 mbar, and with feedback-engaged, the pressure is reduced to 10−6 mbar. Modifications to the harmonic motion in the presence of noise and feedback are studied, and an experimental mechanical quality factor in excess of 4×107 is evaluated. This particle manipulation is key to building a nanoparticle matter-wave interferometer in order to test the quantum superposition principle in the macroscopic domain.