Testing wave-function-collapse models using parametric heating of a trapped nanosphere

Abstract

We propose a mechanism for testing the theory of collapse models such as continuous spontaneous localization (CSL) by examining the parametric heating rate of a trapped nanosphere. The random localizations of the center of mass for a given particle predicted by the CSL model can be understood as a stochastic force embodying a source of heating for the nanosphere. We show that by utilizing a Paul trap to levitate the particle and optical cooling, it is possible to reduce environmental decoherence to such a level that CSL dominates the dynamics and contributes the main source of heating. We show that this approach allows measurements to be made on the time scale of seconds and that the free parameter ${\ensuremath{\lambda}}_{\mathrm{csl}}$ which characterizes the model ought to be testable to values as low as ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}12}$ Hz.