Atom-assisted quadrature squeezing of a mechanical oscillator inside a dispersive cavity

Abstract

We present a hybrid optomechanical scheme to achieve dynamical squeezing of position quadrature of a mesoscopic mechanical oscillator, that can be externally controlled by classical fields. A membrane-in-the-middle set up is employed, in which an atom in $\Lambda$ configuration is considered to be trapped on either side of the membrane inside the cavity. We show that a considerable amount of squeezing (beyond the 3 dB limit) can be achieved that is not affected by the decay of the cavity and the spontaneous emission of the atom. Squeezing depends upon the initial preparation of atomic states. Further, a strong effective coupling between the atom and the oscillator can be attained by using large control fields that pump the atom and the cavity. Effect of thermal phononic bath on squeezing is studied in terms of the squeezing spectrum. The results are supported by the detailed analytical calculations.