Optomechanical Detection of Individual Gas Collisions

Abstract:We experimentally demonstrate the detection of momentum transfers from individual collisions of Kr, Xe, and SF$_6$ with an optically levitated nanoparticle, finding good agreement with theoretical expectations. The observed event rates accurately measure the gas partial pressures, while the spectral shape provides a sensitive probe of the surface properties of the nanoparticle, including its temperature. The reconstruction of impulse signals as small as 200 keV/$c$ further establishes that levitated optomechanical sensors can reach the sensitivity required for precision measurements of fundamental particle interactions, and demonstrates a proof-of-principle for a primary pressure sensor based on the detection of individual gas particle collisions.

Quantum Physics (quant-ph); High Energy Physics - Experiment (hep-ex); Instrumentation and Detectors (physics.ins-det)

arXiv:2604.18371 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2604.18371v2 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2604.18371 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

Phys. Rev. Lett. 137 (2026), 173601

https://doi.org/10.1103/xtzh-6t1f Focus to learn more DOI(s) linking to related resources

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