Bonn 2025 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik

Q 21: Quantum Optomechanics II

Q 21.6: Vortrag

Dienstag, 11. März 2025, 12:15–12:30, HS I

Optically Hyperpolarized Materials for Levitated Optomechanics — •Marit O. E. Steiner, Julen S. Pedernales, and Martin B. Plenio — Institute of Theoretical Physics, Ulm University, Germany

Levitated optomechanics is an emerging field that offers unprecedented opportunities. One of the most exciting applications are matter-wave interference experiments with particles of increasing mass.

In my presentation, I will explore the potential of levitating solids embedded with non-permanent, optically controllable electron spins, which can be used to hyperpolarize their nuclear spin ensemble. Pentacene doped naphthalene will serve a leading example. Leveraging photo-excited triplet states in pentacene, this system enables exceptional nuclear spin hyperpolarization in naphthalene, achieving up to 80% polarization rates and ultra-long relaxation times of T1=800 hours. These remarkable properties enable stronger spin-dependent forces.

In that spirit, we explore the applications of naphthalene for tests of fundamental physics such as a multi-spin Stern-Gerlach-type interferometry protocol which, thanks to the homogeneous spin distribution and the absence of a preferential nuclear-spin quantization axis in such materials, avoids many of the limitations associated with materials hosting electronic spin defects, such as diamonds containing NV centers.

[1] M. Steiner, J. S. Pedernales, and M. B. Plenio, Pentacene-Doped Naphthalene for Levitated Optomechanics, arXiv:2405.13869

Keywords: Levitated optomechanics; Matter wave interferometry; Hyperpolarization; Tests of quantum mechanics; Collapse models