The project will focus on the use of photon pressure to generate an attonewton force reference from single photons and use it to examine the dynamics of micro to nanostructured systems. Optical power can be calibrated from kilowatts to microwatts within the SI. Photon pressure forces from these calibrated laser power measurements can then be directly tied to the SI units of mass and force using mechanical oscillators. New metrology will be developed to bridge the gap from continuous classical optical power measurement to measurement of countable photons, creating a truly quantized standard for the measurement of force at the attonewton level. The development of these measurements can be used to drive new developments in optomechanics and Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and lead to better understanding of light-matter interaction.

 

Reference

Melcher J, et al: Applied Physics Letters 105: 233109, 2014, http://dx.doi.org/10.1063/1.4903801

 

key words

Optomechanics; Metrology; Mass; Force; Scanning probe microscopy; Quantum information; Nonlinear dynamics; Optics; Photon momentum;

Citizenship:  Open to U.S. citizens

Level:  Open to Postdoctoral applicants