Monolayer graphene as dissipative membrane in an optical resonator

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate coupling of an atomically thin, free-standing graphene membrane to an optical cavity. By changing the position of the membrane along the standing-wave field of the cavity, we tailor the dissipative coupling between the membrane and the cavity, and we show that the dissipative coupling can outweigh the dispersive coupling. Such a system, for which controlled dissipation prevails dispersion, will prove useful for novel laser-cooling schemes in optomechanics. In addition, we have determined the continuous-wave optical damage threshold of free-standing monolayer graphene of $$1.8(4)~\hbox {MW}/\hbox {cm}^2$$ at 780 nm.