Sensitive Force Measurements With Optically Trapped Micro-Spheres in High Vacuum

This dissertation details our work on optically levitating and cooling microspheres in vacuum for use as force sensors. We have extensively modeled various optical trap configurations to determine stable trap geometries for μm sized spheres in a dual-beam optical trap. Techniques have been developed for overcoming instabilities which occur when pumping trapped micro-spheres from low to high vacuum. We have also improved on methods for depositing micro-spheres in optical traps. We have shown that optically levitated micro-spheres are excellent force sensors. By eliminating the need to tether the spheres to a solid substrate, excellent environmental decoupling is achieved. In this work we present the realization of aN force sensitivity. The intended use for the technology developed is to extend the search for non-Newtonian gravity by several orders of magnitude at the micrometer length scale [1]. This technology is also suitable for investigating the Casimir effect in the unexplored regime where neither the Proximity Force Approximation or the Casimir-Polder limits are valid.

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