Cavity Optomechanics Research Articles

Quantum Fisher information of a $\Diamond$-type four level atom interacting with a single-mode quantized field in an optomechanical cavity

Abstract In science and technology, precision measurement of physical quantities is crucial, and the quantum Fisher information (QFI) plays a significant role in the study of quantum systems. In this work, we explore the dynamics of QFI for a hybrid optomechanical system, which consists of a $\Diamond$-type four level atom interacting with a single-mode quantized field through multi-photon process. We account for various sources of dissipation, including the decay rates of the atom, the cavity, and the mechanical modes. Using an effective Hamiltonian, we analytically derive the explicit form of the state vector of the entire system via the time-dependent Schr"{o}dinger equation. We then investigate the atomic QFI for the estimation precision of the decay rate of the mechanical oscillator. Furthermore, we examine how optomechanical and atom-field coupling strengths, dissipation parameters, and multi-photon transition influence the dynamics of atomic QFI. Our numerical results suggest that the estimation precision of the decay rate of the mechanical oscillator can be controlled by these parameters.

Quantum effect in a hybrid bose-einstein condensate opto-magnomechanical system

Abstract We present a hybrid opto-magno-mechanical cavity system consisting of an optical cavity that creates an opto-mechanical cavity with a fixed mirror, a magnon mode in a ferrimagnetic crystal linked to the movable mirror and an intracavity Bose–Einstein condensate. The mechanical displacement is coupled to the magnon by the magnetostriction force and to the optical cavity by the radiation pressure, and the latter is also weakly coupled to a Bose–Einstein condensate. We provide a strategy to measure and quantify entanglement using logarithmic negativity. In addition, we study the quantum or EPR steering in order to present the stationary quantum steering. We consider that all composite modes in our model are given in a Gaussian state described by a covariance matrix. In these studies, we focus on the interaction between the Bose–Einstein condensate and the magnonic modes in a ferrimagnetic crystal. It is important to note that we use experimentally controllable realizable parameters to observe the interaction of modes at temperatures in the microkelvin range.

Sensing force gradients with cavity optomechanics while evading backaction

We study force-gradient sensing with a coherently driven mechanical resonator and phase-sensitive detection of motion through the two-tone backaction evading measurement of cavity optomechanics. The response of the optomechanical system, solved by numerical integration of the classical equations of motion, shows an extended region which is monotonic to changes in force gradient. We use Floquet theory to model the fluctuations, which rise only slightly above that of the usual backaction evading measurement in the presence of the mechanical drive. The monotonic response and minimal backaction are advantageous for applications such as atomic force microscopy. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Nonreciprocal Photon Transport in a Chiral Optomechanical System

AbstractChiral interaction between light and quantum emitters leads to emergence development of chiral quantum optics and stimulates a wide range of practical applications in quantum regime, such as single‐photon isolation and photon unidirectional emission. Cavity optomechanics studying the interaction between optical and mechanical resonators plays an important role in the field of quantum optics. However, how to achieve the chiral interaction between light and mechanical oscillators and explore the applications of the chiral optomechanical systems are still difficult encountered in cavity optomechanics. Here, a method is proposed to achieve chiral optomechanical interaction by exploiting directional squeezed light in a multimode optomechanical system. Based on the chiral interaction between photon and phonon, the nonreciprocal photon transport at a single‐photon level can be realized. An isolation ratio of and a negligible insertion loss for the photonic isolator are obtained. This method paves the way to realize chiral optomechanical interaction for conducting chiral optomechanics and opens up the prospect of exploring and utilizing chiral photon–phonon manipulation in the quantum regime.

Self-sustained optomechanical state destruction triggered by the Kerr nonlinearity

Cavity optomechanics implements a unique platform where moving objects can be probed by quantum fields, either laser light or microwave signals. With a pump tone driving at a frequency above the cavity resonance, self-sustained oscillations can be triggered at large injected powers. These limit-cycle dynamics are particularly rich, presenting hysteretic behaviors, broad comb signals, and especially large motion amplitudes. All of these features can be exploited for both fundamental quantum research and engineering. Here we present low-temperature microwave experiments performed on a high-Q cavity resonance capacitively coupled to the flexure of a beam resonator. We study the limit-cycle dynamics parameter space as a function of pump parameters (detuning, power). Unexpectedly, we find that in a region of this parameter space the microwave resonance is irremediably destroyed: Only a dramatic power reset can restore the dynamics to its original state. The phenomenon can be understood as an optical instability linked to the Kerr nonlinearity of the cavity. A theory supporting this claim is presented, reproducing almost quantitatively the measurement. This remarkable feature might be further optimized and represents a new resource for quantum microwave circuits. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Optomechanics Driven by Noisy and Narrowband Fields.

We report a study of a cavity optomechanical system driven by narrowband electromagnetic fields, which are applied either in the form of uncorrelated noise, or as a more structured spectrum. The bandwidth of the driving spectra is smaller than the mechanical resonant frequency, and thus we can describe the resulting physics using concepts familiar from regular cavity optomechanics in the resolved-sideband limit. With a blue-detuned noise driving, the noise-induced interaction leads to anti-damping of the mechanical oscillator, and a self-oscillation threshold at an average noise power that is comparable to that of a coherent driving tone. This process can be seen as noise-induced dynamical amplification of mechanical motion. However, when the noise bandwidth is reduced down to the order of the mechanical damping, we discover a large shift of the power threshold of self-oscillation. This is due to the oscillator adiabatically following the instantaneous noise profile. In addition to blue-detuned noise driving, we investigate narrowband driving consisting of two coherent drive tones nearby in frequency. Also in these cases, we observe deviations from a naive optomechanical description relying only on the tones' frequencies and powers.

Optomechanical entanglement manipulation and switching in a squeezed-cavity-assisted optomechanical system

Quantum entanglement is pivotal in modern quantum technologies, spanning applications from quantum networks to quantum metrology. Controllable quantum entanglement in cavity optomechanical systems has been an enduring pursuit. We propose a unique method for flexible manipulation and switching of optomechanical entanglement in a squeezed-cavity-assisted optomechanical system consisting of a χ(2)-nonlinear optical cavity and an optomechanical cavity. Squeezing the nonlinear optical cavity through parametric pumping allows effective control of light-light and light-vibration interactions within the system. This capability of the squeezed system plays a key role in manipulating quantum entanglement. We find that quantum entanglement between the unsqueezed cavity mode and the mechanical mode can be effectively regulated by adjusting the pump laser parameters. Furthermore, by turning the phase of the pump, we can achieve highly flexible quantum switching between entanglement and separability. Additionally, we demonstrate increased entanglement between the squeezed cavity mode and the mechanical mode when completely suppressing the pump-induced optical input noise. Our findings pave the way not only towards the manipulation and protection of fragile quantum entanglement but also to achieve photon-phonon quantum control by exploiting quantum squeezing.

Stress-Dependent Optical Extinction in Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition Silicon Nitride Measured by Nanomechanical Photothermal Sensing.

Understanding optical absorption in silicon nitride is crucial for cutting-edge technologies like photonic integrated circuits, nanomechanical photothermal infrared sensing and spectroscopy, and cavity optomechanics. Yet, the origin of its strong dependence on the film deposition and fabrication process is not fully understood. This Letter leverages nanomechanical photothermal sensing to investigate optical extinction κext at a 632.8 nm wavelength in low-pressure chemical vapor deposition (LPCVD) SiN strings across a wide range of deposition-related tensile stresses (200-850 MPa). Measurements reveal a reduction in κext from 103 to 101 ppm with increasing stress, correlated to variations in Si/N content ratio. Within the band-fluctuations framework, this trend indicates an increase of the energy bandgap with the stress, ultimately reducing absorption. Overall, this study showcases the power and simplicity of nanomechanical photothermal sensing for low absorption measurements, offering a sensitive, scattering-free platform for material analysis in nanophotonics and nanomechanics.

Gain-enhanced suspended optomechanical system with tunable dissipative coupling strength

Active cavity optomechanical system provides an invaluable physical platform for cavity optomechanics research, particularly those involving dissipative coupling, which holds significant potential for advancing the field of quantum physics. In our previous work, an active levitated optomechanical system was established for the first time [Nat. Phys 19, 414 (2023)10.1038/s41567-022-01857-9]. Here we report a gain-enhanced suspended optomechanical system based on the dissipative coupling between the SiN membrane and the intracavity laser. This system has a high dissipative coupling strength which is widely tunable through simple mechanical adjustments. Moreover, the influence of pumping power and the propagation distance of the free-space beam on the maximum effective dissipative coupling strength is comprehensively investigated. Based on the numerical discussion, we propose effective methods to enhance the dissipative coupling experimentally. The active suspended cavity optomechanical system has great potential in realizing the cooling of the membrane to the quantum ground state or heating the membrane to produce phonon lasers, which can be applied to such cutting-edge fields as quantum precision measurements, macroscopic quantum state, and information transmission and processing.

Increasing Light-Induced Forces with Magnetic Photonic Glasses

In this work, we theoretically and experimentally study the induction of electromagnetic forces in an opal-based magnetic photonic glass, where light normally impinges onto a disordered arrangement of SiO2 spheres by the aggregation of Fe3O4 nanoparticles. The working wavelength is 633 nm. Experimental evidence is presented for the force that results from forced oscillations of the photonic structure. Finite-element method simulations and a theoretical model estimate the magnetic force volumetric density value, peak displacement, and velocity of oscillations. The magnetic force is of the order of 56 microN, which is approximately 500-times higher than forces induced in dielectric optomechanical photonic crystal cavities.

Optical bistabilities in cavity optomechanics

Optical bistabilities in cavity optomechanics

Strong Cavity-Optomechanical Transduction of Nanopillar Motion.

Nanomechanical resonators can serve as ultrasensitive, miniaturized force probes. While vertical structures such as nanopillars are ideal for this purpose, transducing their motion is challenging. Pillar-based photonic crystals (PhCs) offer a potential solution by integrating optical transduction within the pillars. However, achieving high-quality PhCs is hindered by inefficient vertical light confinement. Here, we present a full-silicon photonic crystal cavity based on nanopillars as a platform for applications in force sensing and biosensing areas. Its unit cell consists of a silicon pillar with a larger diameter at its top portion than at the bottom, which allows vertical light confinement and an energy band gap in the near-infrared range for transverse-magnetic polarization. We experimentally demonstrate optical cavities with Q factors exceeding 103, constructed by inserting a defect within a periodic arrangement of this type of pillars. Each nanopillar naturally behaves as a nanomechanical cantilever, making the fabricated geometries excellent optomechanical (OM) photonic crystal cavities in which the mechanical motion of each nanopillar composing the cavity can be optically transduced. These geometries display enhanced mechanical properties, cost-effectiveness, integration possibilities, and scalability. They also present an alternative in front of the widely used suspended Si beam OM cavities made on silicon-on-insulator substrates.

The effect of Casimir force on a diffraction grating in an optomechanical system

This study revisits an optomechanical cavity system to investigate how the Casimir force affects the manipulation of a diffraction grating. The proposed model consists of two mirrors, one of which is fixed while the other vibrates, and an external plate is used to generate the Casimir effect through the vibrating mirror. The Casimir effect has the potential to modify the properties of the output probe field (OPF), resulting in the phenomenon known as optomechanically induced transparency (OMIT), as reported in a previous study (Sci. Rep. 6, 27 102 (2016)). Interestingly, we observed that, when the Casimir effect exist, the maximum energy is transported to higher order. This theoretical realization of the diffraction grating could be feasibly tested in a physical experiment.

Tripartite Quantum Entanglement with Squeezed Optomechanics

AbstractThe ability to engineer entangled states that involve macroscopic objects is of particular importance for a wide variety of quantum‐enabled technologies, ranging from quantum information processing to quantum sensing. Here how to achieve coherent manipulation and enhancement of quantum entanglement in a hybrid optomechanical system, which consists of a Fabry–Pérot cavity with two movable mirrors, an optical parametric amplifier (OPA), and an injected squeezed vacuum reservoir is proposed. It is shown that the advantages of this system are twofold: 1) one can effectively regulate the light‐mirror interactions by introducing a squeezed intracavity mode via the OPA; 2) when properly matching the squeezing parameters between the squeezed cavity mode and the injected squeezed vacuum reservoir, the optical input noises can be suppressed completely. These peculiar features of this system allow the generation and manipulation of quantum entanglement in a coherent and controllable way. More importantly, it is also found that such controllable entanglement, under some specific squeezing parameters, can be considerably enhanced in comparison with those of the conventional optomechanical system. The work, providing a promising method to regulate and tailor the light‐mirror interaction, is poised to serve as a useful tool for engineering various quantum effects which are based on cavity optomechanics.

Squeezing-enhanced quantum sensing with quadratic optomechanics

Cavity optomechanical (COM) sensors, enhanced by quantum squeezing or entanglement, have become powerful tools for measuring ultra-weak forces with high precision and sensitivity. However, these sensors usually rely on linear COM couplings, a fundamental limitation when measurements of the mechanical energy are desired. Very recently, a giant enhancement of the signal-to-noise ratio was predicted in a quadratic COM system. Here we show that the performance of such a system can be further improved surpassing the standard quantum limit by using quantum squeezed light. Our approach is compatible with available engineering techniques of advanced COM sensors and provides new opportunities for using COM sensors in tests of fundamental laws of physics and quantum metrology applications.

Optomechanical dark matter instrument for direct detection

We propose the Optomechanical Dark-matter Instrument (ODIN), based on a new method for the direct detection of low-mass dark matter. We consider dark matter interacting with superfluid helium in an optomechanical cavity. Using an effective field theory, we calculate the rate at which dark matter scatters off phonons in a highly populated, driven acoustic mode of the cavity. This scattering process deposits a phonon into a second acoustic mode in its ground state. The deposited phonon (μeV range) is then converted to a photon (eV range) via an optomechanical interaction with a pump laser. This photon can be efficiently detected, providing a means to sensitively probe keV scale dark matter. We provide realistic estimates of the backgrounds and discuss the technical challenges associated with such an experiment. We calculate projected limits on dark matter–nucleon interactions for dark matter masses ranging from 0.5 to 300 keV and estimate that a future device could probe cross sections as low as O(10−32) cm2. Published by the American Physical Society 2024

Dual-driving parametric locking of GHz phonon sources to sub-hertz linewidth in optomechanical systems

In the exploration of collective dynamics and advanced information processing, synchronization and frequency locking of mechanical oscillations are cornerstone phenomena. Traditional synchronization techniques, which typically involve a single mechanical mode, are limited by their inability to distinguish between intrinsic mechanical oscillations and external signals after locking. Addressing this challenge, we introduce a parametric approach that enables simultaneous frequency locking of two gigahertz mechanical modes within an optomechanical crystal cavity. By modulating the pump light to match the sum and difference frequencies of the mechanical modes, we significantly narrow their linewidths from tens of kilohertz to below 1 Hz at room temperature and ambient pressure. This dual-locking scheme also drastically reduces the phase noise of the mechanical modes by 76.6 dBc/Hz at a 100 Hz offset, while allowing flexible tuning of the locked modes’ frequencies via input signal adjustments. Our method not only facilitates direct observation of mechanical oscillations under the locking regime but also enriches the understanding of coherent phonons in multimode regimes, opening new avenues for optomechanical applications in signal processing.

Quantum advantage of one-way squeezing in weak-force sensing

Cavity optomechanical (COM) sensors, featuring efficient light–motion couplings, have been widely used for ultrasensitive measurements of various physical quantities ranging from displacements to accelerations or weak forces. Previous works, however, have mainly focused on reciprocal COM systems. Here, we propose how to further improve the performance of quantum COM sensors by breaking reciprocal symmetry in purely quantum regime. Specifically, we consider a spinning COM resonator and show that by selectively driving it in opposite directions, highly nonreciprocal optical squeezing can emerge, which in turn provides an efficient way to surpass the standard quantum limit which is otherwise unattainable for the corresponding reciprocal devices. Our work confirms that breaking reciprocal symmetry, already achieved in diverse systems well beyond spinning systems, can serve as a new strategy to further enhance the abilities of advanced quantum sensors, for applications ranging from testing fundamental physical laws to practical quantum metrology.

Optomechanical Cavities Based on Epitaxial GaP on Nominally (001)‐Oriented Si

Optomechanical Cavities Based on Epitaxial GaP on Nominally (001)‐Oriented Si

Atom-magnon entanglement in a coupled cavity-magnon atom-optomechanical system

We propose an alternative way to realize macroscopic entanglement between an atomic ensemble and ferrimagnetic magnons in a hybrid cavity-magnon atom-optomechanics, in which a microwave cavity couples to the magnons via magnetic dipole interaction, and simultaneously couples to a standard optomechanical cavity with an ensemble of two-level atoms. We show that in experimental feasible parameters, the optomechanical entanglement can be transferred to the bipartite subsystems, which makes it possible to generate the macroscopic atom-magnon entanglement and genuine tripartite entanglement. We mainly analyze the effects of coupling strengths on the efficiency of the entanglement transfer and the generation of the atom-magnon entanglement. We find that by selecting appropriate coupling strengths, both the degree of the atom-magnon entanglement and its robustness against the environmental temperature are enhanced significantly.