High-precision realization for sensing charged particles based on optomechanically induced two-color second-order sidebands

Abstract

We propose an effective scheme to sense charged particles by employing two-color second-order sidebands (TSSs) in a hybrid optomechanical system. This is realized in an optomechanical cavity with a double-oscillator structure, where the Coulomb force acting on two charged oscillators participates in nonlinear optomechanical interaction. With the aid of mechanical mode splitting induced by the Coulomb force, we report that the TSS spectrum can be generated and enhanced when the strong absorption in the transmission spectrum allows the TSS generated pathways to be readily accessed. More importantly, after seeking two correlations between the TSS spectra and the charged particles deposited on the oscillator, we design a dual-parameter sensor to measure the mass and the charge of the external particles simultaneously. Through evaluating the influence of the thermomechanical noise on the optomechanical sensing device, the resolution for detecting the mass and the charge of the measured particles can be identified as δm≈1.7×10−18g and δQ≈1.6×10−18C, respectively.