A cavity optomechanical magnetometer is demonstrated where the magnetic field induced expansion of a magnetostrictive material is transduced onto the physical structure of a highly compliant optical microresonator. The resulting motion is read out op
tically with ultra-high sensitivity. Detecting the magnetostrictive deformation of Terfenol-D with a toroidal whispering gallery mode (TWGM) resonator a peak sensitivity of 400 nT/Hz^.5 was achieved with theoretical modelling predicting that sensitivities of up to 500 fT/Hz^.5 may be possible. This chip-based magnetometer combines high-sensitivity and large dynamic range with small size and room temperature operation.
A setup is proposed to enhance tracking of very small particles, by using optical tweezers embedded within a Sagnac interferometer. The achievable signal-to-noise ratio is shown to be enhanced over that for a standard optical tweezers setup. The enha
ncement factor increases asymptotically as the interferometer visibility approaches 100%, but is capped at a maximum given by the ratio of the trapping field intensity to the detector saturation threshold. For an achievable visibility of 99%, the signal-to-noise ratio is enhanced by a factor of 200, and the minimum trackable particle size is 2.4 times smaller than without the interferometer.
