Optomechanics Research Papers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Matter-wave interferometry and spectroscopy of optomechanical resonators offer complementary advantages. Interferometry with cold atoms is employed for accurate and long-term stable measurements, yet it is challenged by its dynamic range... more

Matter-wave interferometry and spectroscopy of optomechanical resonators offer complementary advantages. Interferometry with cold atoms is employed for accurate and long-term stable measurements, yet it is challenged by its dynamic range and cyclic acquisition. Spectroscopy of optomechanical resonators features continuous signals with large dynamic range, however it is generally subject to drifts. In this work, we combine the advantages of both devices. Measuring the motion of a mirror and matter waves interferometrically with respect to a joint reference allows us to operate an atomic gravimeter in a seismically noisy environment otherwise inhibiting readout of its phase. Our method is applicable to a variety of quantum sensors and shows large potential for improvements of both elements by quantum engineering.

Systems of coupled mechanical resonators are useful for quantum information processing and fundamental tests of physics. Direct coupling is only possible with resonators of very similar frequency, but by using an intermediary optical... more

Systems of coupled mechanical resonators are useful for quantum information processing and fundamental tests of physics. Direct coupling is only possible with resonators of very similar frequency, but by using an intermediary optical mode, non-degenerate modes can interact and be independently controlled in a single optical cavity. Here we demonstrate coherent optomechanical state swapping between two spatially and frequency separated resonators with a mass ratio of 4. We find that, by using two laser beams far detuned from an optical cavity resonance, efficient state transfer is possible. Although the demonstration is classical, the same technique can be used to generate entanglement between oscillators in the quantum regime.Coupled mechanical resonators where each mode can be separately controlled are a promising system for quantum information processing. Here, Weaver et al. demonstrate coherent swapping of optomechanical states between two separate resonators.

Two major challenges in the development of optomechanical devices are achieving a low mechanical and optical loss rate and vibration isolation from the environment. We address both issues by fabricating trampoline resonators made from low... more

Two major challenges in the development of optomechanical devices are achieving a low mechanical and optical loss rate and vibration isolation from the environment. We address both issues by fabricating trampoline resonators made from low pressure chemical vapor deposition Si3N4 with a distributed Bragg reflector mirror. We design a nested double resonator structure with 80 dB of mechanical isolation from the mounting surface at the inner resonator frequency, and we demonstrate up to 45 dB of isolation at lower frequencies in agreement with the design. We reliably fabricate devices with mechanical quality factors of around 400 000 at room temperature. In addition, these devices were used to form optical cavities with finesse up to 181 000 ± 1000. These promising parameters will enable experiments in the quantum regime with macroscopic mechanical resonators.

Optical forces are known to arise in a universal fashion in many and diverse physical settings. As such, they are successfully employed over a wide range of applications in areas like biophotonics, optomechanics and integrated optics.... more

Optical forces are known to arise in a universal fashion in many and diverse physical settings. As such, they are successfully employed over a wide range of applications in areas like biophotonics, optomechanics and integrated optics. While inter-elemental optical forces in few-mode photonic networks have been so far systematically analyzed, little is known, if any, as to how they manifest themselves in highly multimoded optical environments. In this work, by means of statistical mechanics, we formally address this open problem in optically thermalized weakly nonlinear heavily multimode tight-binding networks. The outlined thermodynamic formulation allows one to obtain in an elegant manner analytical results for the exerted thermodynamic pressures in utterly complex arrangements-results that are either computationally intensive or impossible to obtain otherwise. Thus, we derive simple closed-form expressions for the thermodynamic optical pressures displayed among elements, which dep...

A major achievement of the past decade has been the realization of macroscopic quantum systems by exploiting the interactions between optical cavities and mechanical resonators. In these systems, phonons are coherently annihilated or... more

A major achievement of the past decade has been the realization of macroscopic quantum systems by exploiting the interactions between optical cavities and mechanical resonators. In these systems, phonons are coherently annihilated or created in exchange for photons. Similar phenomena have recently been observed through phonon-cavity coupling-energy exchange between the modes of a single system mediated by intrinsic material nonlinearity. This has so far been demonstrated primarily for bulk crystalline, high-quality-factor (Q > 10(5)) mechanical systems operated at cryogenic temperatures. Here, we propose graphene as an ideal candidate for the study of such nonlinear mechanics. The large elastic modulus of this material and capability for spatial symmetry breaking via electrostatic forces is expected to generate a wealth of nonlinear phenomena, including tunable intermodal coupling. We have fabricated circular graphene membranes and report strong phonon-cavity effects at room temp...

We demonstrate facile optical manipulation of shape of birefringent colloidal microparticles made from liquid crystal elastomers. Using soft lithography and polymerization, we fabricate elastomeric microcylinders with weakly undulating... more

We demonstrate facile optical manipulation of shape of birefringent colloidal microparticles made from liquid crystal elastomers. Using soft lithography and polymerization, we fabricate elastomeric microcylinders with weakly undulating director oriented on average along their long axes. These particles are infiltrated with gold nanospheres acting as heat transducers that allow for an efficient localized transfer of heat from a focused infrared laser beam to a submicrometer region within a microparticle. Photothermal control of ordering in the liquid crystal elastomer using scanned beams allows for a robust control of colloidal particles, enabling both reversible and irreversible changes of shape. Possible applications include optomechanics, microfluidics, and reconfigurable colloidal composites with shape-dependent self-assembly.

The hybrid systems that couple optical and mechanical degrees of freedom in nanoscale devices offer an unprecedented opportunity and development in laboratories worldwide. A nano-optomechanical (NOM) system that converts energy... more

The hybrid systems that couple optical and mechanical degrees of freedom in nanoscale devices offer an unprecedented opportunity and development in laboratories worldwide. A nano-optomechanical (NOM) system that converts energy directly/inversely between optics and mechanics opens an approach to control the behavior of light and light-driven mechanics. An accurate measurement of the mechanical motion of a fiber-taper NOM system is a critical challenge. In this work, an optical microscope was used to measure the nanoscale mechanical motion of the fiber taper by introducing white light interference. The resolution of mechanical motion monitoring achieved 0.356 nm with an optomechanical efficiency of >20 nm/μW. This paper describes an approach to characterize NOM transducers between optical and mechanical signals in both classical and quantum fields.

Optomechanics is a rapidly expanding field focused on the interaction between light and mechanical motion of a resonator. We investigate the optomechanical properties of a cavity containing, as a mirror, a multilayer membrane composed by... more

Optomechanics is a rapidly expanding field focused on the interaction between light and mechanical motion of a resonator. We investigate the optomechanical properties of a cavity containing, as a mirror, a multilayer membrane composed by the molecular organic semiconductor tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3), silver and silicon nitride. Optical back-action effects associated with confined electromagnetic modes in an optical cavity are used to decrease the mechanical energy of the modes, showing promise for both applications and fundamental investigation. Non-linear dynamics and multi-stable regions arise when the mechanical modes are heated. We study the stability of the system using a model in which the response of the photo-induced forces to changes in the cavity field is described by a delay function.