@article{20840,
  abstract     = {Probing the possibility of entanglement generation through gravity offers a path to tackle the question of whether gravitational fields possess a quantum mechanical nature. A potential realization necessitates systems with low-frequency dynamics at an optimal mass scale, for which the microgram-to-milligram range is a strong contender. Here, after refining a figure-of-merit for the problem, we present a 1-milligram torsional pendulum operating at 18 Hz. We demonstrate laser cooling its motion from room temperature to 240 microkelvins, surpassing by over 20-fold the coldest motions attained for oscillators ranging from micrograms to kilograms. We quantify and contrast the utility of the current approach with other platforms. The achieved performance and large improvement potential highlight milligram-scale torsional pendulums as a powerful platform for precision measurements relevant to future studies at the quantum-gravity interface.},
  author       = {Agafonova, Sofya and Rosello, Pere and Mekonnen, Manuel and Hosten, Onur},
  issn         = {2399-3650},
  journal      = {Communications Physics},
  publisher    = {Springer Nature},
  title        = {{One-milligram torsional pendulum toward experiments at the quantum-gravity interface}},
  doi          = {10.1038/s42005-026-02514-w},
  volume       = {9},
  year         = {2026},
}

@misc{20842,
  abstract     = {Probing the possibility of entanglement generation through gravity offers a path to tackle the question of whether gravitational fields possess a quantum mechanical nature. A potential realization necessitates systems with low-frequency dynamics at an optimal mass scale, for which the microgram-to-milligram range is a strong contender. Here, after refining a figure-of-merit for the problem, we present a 1-milligram torsional pendulum operating at 18 Hz. We demonstrate laser cooling its motion from room temperature to 240~microkelvins, surpassing by over 20-fold the coldest motions attained for oscillators ranging from micrograms to kilograms. We quantify and contrast the utility of the current approach with other platforms. The achieved performance and large improvement potential highlight milligram-scale torsional pendulums as a powerful platform for precision measurements relevant to future studies at the quantum-gravity interface.},
  author       = {Agafonova, Sofya},
  publisher    = {Institute of Science and Technology Austria},
  title        = {{Research Data for: 'One-milligram torsional pendulum toward experiments at the quantum-gravity interface'}},
  doi          = {10.15479/AT-ISTA-20842},
  year         = {2025},
}

@article{14980,
  abstract     = {Precision sensing and manipulation of milligram-scale mechanical oscillators has attracted growing interest in the fields of table-top explorations of gravity and tests of quantum mechanics at macroscopic scales. Torsional oscillators present an opportunity in this regard due to their remarked isolation from environmental noise. For torsional motion, an effective employment of optical cavities to enhance optomechanical interactions—as already established for linear oscillators—so far faced certain challenges. Here, we propose a concept for sensing and manipulating torsional motion, where exclusively the torsional rotations of a pendulum are mapped onto the path length of a single two-mirror optical cavity. The concept inherently alleviates many limitations of previous approaches. A proof-of-principle experiment is conducted with a rigidly controlled pendulum to explore the sensing aspects of the concept and to identify practical limitations in a potential state-of-the art setup. Based on this study, we anticipate development of precision torque sensors utilizing torsional pendulums that can support sensitivities below 10−19Nm/√Hz, while the motion of the pendulums are dominated by quantum radiation pressure noise at sub-microwatts of incoming laser power. These developments will provide horizons for experiments at the interface of quantum mechanics and gravity.},
  author       = {Agafonova, Sofya and Mishra, Umang and Diorico, Fritz R and Hosten, Onur},
  issn         = {2643-1564},
  journal      = {Physical Review Research},
  number       = {1},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Zigzag optical cavity for sensing and controlling torsional motion}},
  doi          = {10.1103/physrevresearch.6.013141},
  volume       = {6},
  year         = {2024},
}

@article{13233,
  abstract     = {We study the impact of finite-range physics on the zero-range-model analysis of three-body recombination in ultracold atoms. We find that temperature dependence of the zero-range parameters can vary from one set of measurements to another as it may be driven by the distribution of error bars in the experiment, and not by the underlying three-body physics. To study finite-temperature effects in three-body recombination beyond the zero-range physics, we introduce and examine a finite-range model based upon a hyperspherical formalism. The systematic error discussed in this Letter may provide a significant contribution to the error bars of measured three-body parameters.},
  author       = {Agafonova, Sofya and Lemeshko, Mikhail and Volosniev, Artem},
  issn         = {2469-9934},
  journal      = {Physical Review A},
  number       = {6},
  publisher    = {American Physical Society},
  title        = {{Finite-range bias in fitting three-body loss to the zero-range model}},
  doi          = {10.1103/PhysRevA.107.L061304},
  volume       = {107},
  year         = {2023},
}

@article{14749,
  abstract     = {We unveil a powerful method for the stabilization of laser injection locking based on sensing variations in the output beam ellipticity of an optically seeded laser. The effect arises due to an interference between the seeding beam and the injected laser output. We demonstrate the method for a commercial semiconductor laser without the need for any internal changes to the readily operational injection locked laser system that was used. The method can also be used to increase the mode-hop free tuning range of lasers, and has the potential to fill a void in the low-noise laser industry.},
  author       = {Mishra, Umang and Li, Vyacheslav and Wald, Sebastian and Agafonova, Sofya and Diorico, Fritz R and Hosten, Onur},
  issn         = {1539-4794},
  journal      = {Optics Letters},
  keywords     = {Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics},
  number       = {15},
  pages        = {3973--3976},
  publisher    = {Optica Publishing Group},
  title        = {{Monitoring and active stabilization of laser injection locking using beam ellipticity}},
  doi          = {10.1364/ol.495553},
  volume       = {48},
  year         = {2023},
}