Education

• 2023- now, MSc Electric Feedback Cooling of Nanoparticles in a Paul Trap
  with Ron Folman

  Abstract/Description: This thesis presents the development and implementation of an electric feedback cooling system for
  levitated nanoparticles in a Paul trap, with the aim of advancing precision control in levitodynamics
  experiments. A custom-designed end-cap Paul trap was employed to stably confine charged nanoparticles
  and electric feedback was used to slow their motion and cool them. Optical detection of the particle’s
  translations in real-time is realized by a homodyne interference scheme of the forward scattered light and
  heterodyne detection of back scattered light. Two active feedback techniques were investigated: velocity
  damping and parametric. Both methods were implemented on a Red Pitaya (RP) FPGA-based platform
  to meet the stringent requirements for low-latency feedback. The cooling results shown in this work were
  achieved by both velocity damping and parametric techniques. It is also important to point out that
  while the research and implementation of the velocity damping cooling were done by me, the best cooling
  results were done by my lab colleagues while I was away on reserve duty. As a result of our work, we
  recently posted a preprint in the archive [1].
  The experimental system described in this thesis is the result of the work of two PhD students, a
  postdoc, and myself. I participated in designing and building the trapping system and in assembling
  the vacuum system, but the main focus of my work was on the cooling system and the micromotion
  minimization procedure.