Orientational quantum revivals of nanoscale rotors

We propose an experimentally viable scheme to probe orientational quantum revivals with nanoscale particles, an interference effect of the rotational degrees of freedom testifying a superposition of all orientations. Our simulations demonstrate that such revivals are observable with current technology, even in the presence of environmental decoherence, using carbon nanotubes or silicon nanorods with a length of 50 nm. This opens the door to tests of rotational quantum physics with submicron objects and to quantum gyroscopic torque sensors.