Ro-Translational Cavity Cooling of Dielectric Rods and Disks

Abstract

We study the interaction of dielectric rods and disks with the laser field of a high finesse cavity. The quantum master equation for the coupled particle-cavity dynamics, including Rayleigh scattering, is derived for particle sizes comparable to the laser wavelength. We demonstrate that such anisotropic nanoparticles can be captured from free flight at velocities higher than those required to capture dielectric spheres of the same volume, and that efficient ro-translational cavity cooling into the deep quantum regime is achievable.