34 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
34 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
---
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title: Levitated Optomechanics, Swansea
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type: docs
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toc: false
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---
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The Optomechanics Group is based in the [Department of Physics](https://www.swansea.ac.uk/physics) within the [Faculty of Science and Engineering at Swansea University](https://www.swansea.ac.uk/science-and-engineering/).
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Optomechanics uses light to control nanoscale motion, offers quantum-limited control over mesoscopic devices, and builds on mature techniques from cold atom physics.
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Research within the group spans technology development, theoretical work on optical scattering and information, and Bayesian inference and experiment design for matterwave interferometry.
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## Space and matterwave interferometry
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<figure class="fig-float right logo">
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<a href="http://maqro-mission.org"><img src="/img/MAQRO.png" alt="MAQRO"></a>
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</figure>
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Our interest in optomechanics in space began with **MAQRO**, a proposal for a medium-sized space mission to harness long free-fall times for matterwave interferometry with nanoparticles. James Bateman's work in levitated optomechanics started around 2012 as a postdoctoral researcher with [Prof. Hendrik Ulbricht](https://www.southampton.ac.uk/people/5x5wz8/professor-hendrik-ulbricht) at the University of Southampton, who introduced him to the field and to MAQRO. His work on near-field interferometry ([Bateman et al., *Nat. Commun.* **5**, 4788 (2014)](https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms5788)) set out the scheme that MAQRO adopted as the basis for its matterwave interferometer. He is a co-author of the MAQRO research campaign paper ([Kaltenbaek et al., *Quantum Sci. Technol.* **8**, 014006 (2023)](https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/aca3cd)) and served twice as a consulting scientist at ESA's ESTEC during the Concurrent Design Facility (CDF) study of the mission. MAQRO remains a long-term goal for fundamental physics in space. The group's current work focuses on nearer-term missions and experiments such as [LEVITAS]({{< relref "/projects/levitas" >}}), which develop the techniques and technology that a mission like MAQRO will draw upon. Further reading on MAQRO is collected on the [MAQRO publications page](http://maqro-mission.org/publications/).
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## Past networks
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The group was part of [**LeviNet**](https://www.levinet.org/) (Levitation Network for Advanced Quantum Technologies) and [**INSQT**](https://www.insqt.ac.uk/) (International Network for Space Quantum Technologies), which supported the UK and international levitated optomechanics and space quantum technologies communities. LeviNet supported [Shaun Laing]({{< relref "/people/shaun-laing">}}) on a Scientific Mission to the [Geraci Research Group at Northwestern University](https://faculty.wcas.northwestern.edu/andrew-geraci/index.html).
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## Contact
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Dr James Bateman, [j.e.bateman@swansea.ac.uk](mailto:j.e.bateman@swansea.ac.uk?subject=levitation.wales)
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Department of Physics, Singleton Campus, Swansea University, SA2 8PP, UK
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