Semiclassical Nonlinear Electro-Optical Levitation

Electro-optic control of nanoobjects arrived at a new fundamental limit of current technology. Recent experiments in the nonlinear motion of nanoobjects levitating in optical traps and their ground-state cooling brought this field to the edge of classical physics phenomena understandable by stochastic trajectories. Modern electro-optical techniques, experimental development, and theory must be simultaneously developed to cross this fuzzy Classical- Quantum (CQ) border. This pioneering work is led by experiments that have to be navigated by semiclassical simulations to understand an unknown motion of nanoobjects behind the CQ border. This proposal joins the experimental team at ISI CAS Brno and the optomechanics theory team at UP Olomouc to do a challenging but pioneering step. We will design, analyse, build a new setup and perform experiments with a fast time-varying nonlinear electro-optical levitation. Cooling down nanoobject motion and reducing its coupling to the environment allows approaching the CQ border and exploring new semiclassical or even quantum territory.