Quantum theory of laser noise in coherent-scattering levitated optomechanics

arXiv:2610.32368v1 Announce Type: new Abstract: State purity is a key resource for experimental tests of quantum mechanics with massive objects. Cavity cooling of a levitated nanoparticle via coherent scattering stands out as a strategy to prepare highly pure states of its roto-translational motion. In several cases, though, the performance of cooling by coherent scattering is limited by the classical fluctuations of the laser field. Here we present a quantum theory of coherent-scattering experiments which includes the effect of the laser amplitude and phase noise.