A self-calibrating optomechanical force sensor with femtonewton resolution

Abstract

We report the development of an ultrasensitive optomechanical sensor designed to improve the accuracy and precision of force measurements with atomic force microscopy. The sensors reach quality factors of 4.3x10^6 and force resolution on the femtonewton scale at room temperature. Self-calibration of the sensor is accomplished using radiation pressure to create a reference force. Self-calibration enables in situ calibration of the sensor in extreme environments, such as cryogenic ultra-high vacuum. The senor technology presents a viable route to force measurements at the atomic scale with uncertainties below the percent level.

References in corpus (6)

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• An all-optical trap for a gram-scale mirror
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• Detecting the "phonon wind" in superfluid ${}^4\mathrm{He}$ by a nanomechanical resonator
• High accuracy, high dynamic range optomechanical accelerometry enabled by dual comb spectroscopy
• Negative radiation pressure in metamaterials explained by light-driven atomic mass density rarefication waves
• Efficient optomechanical mode-shape mapping of micromechanical devices
• Sensing force gradients with cavity optomechanics while evading backaction
• Intrinsically accurate sensing with an optomechanical accelerometer