Yale researchers use quantum sensor technologies to 'provide an absolute measurement of the mass of the light neutrino states'

Researchers at Yale's Wright Lab have proposed using mechanical quantum sensor technologies to make ultra-sensitive measurements that detect elusive particles called neutrinos, according to a release by Yale University.

The experiment, called "Search for new Interactions in a Microsphere Precision Levitation Experiment (SIMPLE)," uses optical tweezers and micron-sized spheres to precisely measure tiny impulses, which make it possible to detect even a single neutrino escaping from a decaying nucleus inside a nanoparticle, the researchers wrote in the study, which was published in PRX Quantum. 

The study demonstrated that “a single nanometer-scale, optically levitated sensor operated with sensitivity near the standard quantum limit can search for heavy sterile neutrinos in the keV-MeV mass range with sensitivity significantly beyond existing constraints,” the release stated, and "explores the “possibility that mechanical sensors operated well into the quantum regime might ultimately reach the sensitivities required to provide an absolute measurement of the mass of the light neutrino states."

The research team was led by associate professor of physics David Moore, along with collaborators Daniel Carney from the Physics Division at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, and Kyle Leach from the Department of Physics at the Colorado School of Mines and Facility for Rare Isotope Beams at Michigan State University. The use of mechanical quantum sensor technologies make it possible to detect the elusive particles with unprecedented sensitivity, potentially revolutionizing nuclear physics research. Neutrinos, known for their extremely weak interactions, pose a challenge for typical neutrino detectors, which require large and expensive experimental setups. However, the team's innovative SIMPLE experiment offers a tabletop alternative that can provide insights into neutrino interactions. 

SIMPLE utilizes "optical tweezers" to control and measure micron-sized spheres called "microspheres" in which neutrino interactions can be studied. The motion of the microsphere is measured with extreme precision, allowing the researchers to detect incredibly tiny impulses, smaller than a quadrillionth of the momentum transferred by a feather landing on your shoulder. This level of sensitivity enables the measurement of the momentum recoil of an entire particle, even if a single neutrino escapes following the decay of a nucleus inside a nanoparticle with a diameter of around 100 nanometers.

Christopher Bunick, associate professor of dermatology at the Yale School of Medicine, explained that "researchers in Europe have recently demonstrated the ability to use nanometer-scale optically levitated sensors like those of SIMPLE to do quantum measurements; our group is proposing to apply these quantum technologies to nuclear physics." 

Moore's group is working to optimize SIMPLE's neutrino detection capabilities by implanting specific isotopes of interest for decays emitting neutrinos in the trapped nanoparticles, the release stated. 

The report said that the possibilities of extending these ideas to large arrays of nanoparticles could allow researchers to probe many orders of magnitude beyond the current capabilities for heavy neutrino searches.