Optomechanical response with nanometer resolution in the self-mixing signal of a terahertz quantum cascade laser
Andrea Ottomaniello, James Keeley, Pierluigi Rubino, Lianhe Li, Marco Cecchini, Edmund H. Linfield, A. Giles Davies, Paul Dean, Alessandro Pitanti, Alessandro Tredicucci
The effectiveness of self-mixing interferometry has been demonstrated across the electromagnetic spectrum, from visible to microwave frequencies, in a plethora of sensing applications, ranging from distance measurement to material analysis, microscopy and coherent imaging. Owing to their intrinsic stability to optical feedback, quantum cascade lasers (QCLs) represent a source that offers unique and versatile characteristics to further improve the self-mixing functionality at mid infrared and terahertz (THz) frequencies. Here, we show the feasibility of detecting with nanometer precision deeply subwalength (< λ/6000) mechanical vibrations of a suspended Si3N4-membrane used as the external element of a THz QCL feedback interferometric apparatus. Besides representing a platform for the characterization of small displacements, our self-mixing configuration can be exploited for the realization of optomechanical systems, where several laser sources can be linked together through a common mechanical microresonator actuated by radiation pressure.
Mechanical Activation of Terahertz Tunneling in Metallic Nanogaps
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)（蔚山科学技术院）；Max Planck Institute for the Structure and Dynamics of Matter（马普物质结构与动力学研究所）；Incheon National University（仁川国立大学）；Mohammed VI Polytechnic University（穆罕默德六世理工学院）
Near-Field Mechanical Fingerprints for THz Sensing of 'Hidden' Nanoparticles in Complex Media
Instituto de Física Arroyo Seco, Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires（布宜诺斯艾利斯省中部国立大学阿约塞科物理研究所）；Centro de Investigaciones en Física e Ingeniería del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA-CICPBA-CONICET)（布宜诺斯艾利斯省中部物理与工程研究中心）；Grup de Recerca d’Òptica de Castelló (GROC), Institut de Noves Tecnologies de la Imatge (INIT), Universitat Jaume I (UJI)（卡斯特利翁光学研究组（GROC），图像新技术研究所（INIT），豪梅一世大学（UJI））
