Standard optomechanical cooling methods ideally require weak coupling and cavity damping rates which enable the motional sidebands to be well resolved. If the coupling is too large then sideband-resolved cooling is unstable or the rotating wave approximation can become invalid. In this work we describe a protocol to cool a mechanical resonator coupled to a driven optical mode in an optomechanical cavity, which is also coupled to an optical mode in another auxiliary optical cavity, and both the cavities are frequency-modulated. We show that by modulating the amplitude of the drive as well, one can execute a type of STIRAP transfer of occupation from the mechanical mode to the lossy auxiliary optical mode which results in cooling of the mechanical mode. We show how this protocol can outperform normal optomechanical sideband cooling in various regimes such as the strong coupling and the unresolved sideband limit.
Stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) describes adiabatic population transfer between two states coherently coupled via a mediating state that remains unoccupied. This renders STIRAP robust against loss in the mediating state, leading to profound applications in atomic- and molecular-beam research, trapped-ion physics, superconducting circuits, other solid-state systems, optics, in entanglement generation and qubit operations. STIRAP in optomechanics has been considered for optical frequency conversion where a mechanical mode provides the mediating state. Given the advances of optomechan…
Hybrid quantum systems have been developed with various mechanical, optical and microwave harmonic oscillators. The coupling produces a rich library of interactions including two mode squeezing, swapping interactions, back-action evasion and thermal control. In a multimode mechanical system, coupling resonators of different scales (both in frequency and mass) leverages the advantages of each resonance. For example: a high frequency, easily manipulated resonator could be entangled with a low frequency massive object for tests of gravitational decoherence. Here we demonstrate coherent optomechan…
A scheme of single-photon multi-port router is put forward by coupling two optomechanical cavities with waveguides. It is shown that the coupled two optomechanical cavities can exhibit photon blockade effect, which is generated from interference of three mode interaction. A single-photon travel along the system is calculated. The results show that the single photon can be controlled in the multi-port system because of the radiation pressure, which should be useful for constructing quantum network.
We demonstrate theoretically the possibility of using nano mechanical systems as single photon routers. We show how EIT in cavity optomechanical systems can be used to produce a switch for a probe field in a single photon Fock state using very low pumping powers of few microwatt. We present estimates of vacuum and thermal noise and show the optimal performance of the single photon switch is deteriorated by only few percent even at temperatures of the order of 20 mK.
We investigate the routing of a single-photon in a modulated cavity optomechanical system, in which the cavity is driven by a strong coupling field, and the mechanical resonator (MR) is modulated with a weak coherent field. We show that, when there is no a weak coherent field modulating the MR, the system cannot act as a single-photon router, since the signal will be completely covered by the quantum and thermal noises. By introducing the weak coherent field, we can achieve the routing of the single-photon by adjusting the frequency of the weak coherent field, and the system can be immune to t…
Collective Chirped STIRAP in a Pair of Three-Level Atoms: Dressed-Manifold Dynamics and Compensation of the Rydberg-Rydberg Interaction-Induced Detuning
Ground state cooling of massive mechanical objects remains a difficult task restricted by the unresolved mechanical sidebands. We propose an optomechanically-induced-transparency cooling scheme to achieve ground state cooling of mechanical motion without the resolved sideband condition in a pure optomechanical system with two mechanical modes coupled to the same optical cavity mode. We show that ground state cooling is achievable for sideband resolution $ω_{m}/κ$ as low as 0.003. This provides a new route for quantum manipulation of massive macroscopic devices and high-precision measurements.
Optomechanics is currently believed to provide a promising route towards the achievement of genuine quantum effects at the large, massive-system scale. By using a recently proposed figure of merit that is well suited to address continuous-variable systems, in this paper we analyze the requirements needed for the state of a mechanical mode (embodied by an end-cavity cantilever or a membrane placed within an optical cavity) to be qualified as macroscopic. We show that, according to the phase space-based criterion that we have chosen for our quantitative analysis, the state achieved through stron…
We propose how to achieve synthetic $\mathcal{PT}$ symmetry in optomechanics without using any active medium. We find that harnessing the Stokes process in such a system can lead to the emergence of exceptional point (EP), i.e., the coalescing of both the eigenvalues and the eigenvectors of the system. By encircling the EP, both non-reciprocal optical amplification and chiral mode switching can be achieved. As a result, our synthetic $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric optomechanics works as a topological optomechanical amplifier. This provides a surprisingly simplified route to realize $\mathcal{PT}$-sy…
Electromagnetically induced transparency has great theoretical and experimental importance in many physics subjects, such as atomic physics, quantum optics, and more recent cavity optomechanics. Optical delay is the most prominent feature of electromagnetically induced transparency, and in cavity optomechanics optical delay is limited by mechanical dissipation rate of sideband-resolved mechanical modes. Here we demonstrate a cascaded optical transparency scheme by leveraging the parametric phonon-phonon coupling in a multimode optomechanical system, where a low damping mechanical mode in the u…
We propose to mechanically control photon blockades (PB) in an optomechanical system with driving oscillators. We show that by tuning the mechanical driving parameters we achieve selective single-photon blockade (1PB) or two-photon blockade (2PB) as well as simultaneous 1PB and 2PB at the same frequency. This mechanical engineering of 1PB and 2PB can be understood from the anharmonic energy levels due to the modulation of the mechanical driving. In contrast to the optomechanical systems without any mechanical driving featuring PB only for specific optical detuning, our results can be useful fo…
Utilizing the tools of quantum optics to prepare and manipulate quantum states of motion of a mechanical resonator is currently one of the most promising routes to explore non-classicality at a macroscopic scale. An important quantum optomechanical tool yet to be experimentally demonstrated is the ability to perform complete quantum state reconstruction. Here, after providing a brief introduction to quantum states in phase space, we review and contrast the current proposals for state reconstruction of mechanical motional states and discuss experimental progress. Furthermore, we show that mecha…
We establish the emergence of chaotic motion in optomechanical systems. Chaos appears at negative detuning for experimentally accessible values of the pump power and other system parameters. We describe the sequence of period doubling bifurcations that leads to chaos, and state the experimentally observable signatures in the optical spectrum. In addition to the semi-classical dynamics we analyze the possibility of chaotic motion in the quantum regime. We find that quantum mechanics protects the optomechanical system against irregular dynamics, such that simple periodic orbits reappear and repl…
The stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) shows an efficient technique that accurately transfers population between two discrete quantum states with the same parity, in three-level quantum systems based on adiabatic evolution. This technique has widely theoretical and experimental applications in many fields of physics, chemistry, and beyond. Here, we present a generally robust approach to speed up STIRAP with invariant-based shortcut to adiabaticity. By controlling the dynamical process, we inversely design a family of Hamiltonians that can realize fast and accurate population transfer …
We introduce a scheme to reconstruct an arbitrary quantum state of a mechanical oscillator network. We assume that a single element of the network is coupled to a cavity field via a linearized optomechanical interaction, whose time dependence is controlled by a classical driving field. By designing a suitable interaction profile, we show how the statistics of an arbitrary mechanical quadrature can be encoded in the cavity field, which can then be measured. We discuss the important special case of Gaussian state reconstruction, and study numerically the effectiveness of our scheme for a finite …
The optomechanical character of molecules was discovered by Raman about one century ago. Today, molecules are promising contenders for high-performance quantum optomechanical platforms because their small size and large energy-level separations make them intrinsically robust against thermal agitations. Moreover, the precision and throughput of chemical synthesis can ensure a viable route to quantum technological applications. The challenge, however, is that the coupling of molecular vibrations to environmental phonons limits their coherence to picosecond time scales. Here, we improve the optom…
Cavity-enhanced radiation-pressure coupling of optical and mechanical degrees of freedom gives rise to a range of optomechanical phenomena, in particular providing a route to the quantum regime of mesoscopic mechanical oscillators. A prime challenge in cavity optomechanics has however been to realize systems which simultaneously maximize optical finesse and mechanical quality. Here we demonstrate for the first time independent control over both mechanical and optical degree of freedom within one and the same on-chip resonator. The first direct observation of mechanical normal mode coupling in …
We study the implementation of quantum state transfer protocols in phonon networks, where in analogy to optical networks, quantum information is transmitted through propagating phonons in extended mechanical resonator arrays or phonon waveguides. We describe how the problem of a non-vanishing thermal occupation of the phononic quantum channel can be overcome by implementing optomechanical multi- and continuous mode cooling schemes to create a 'cold' frequency window for transmitting quantum states. In addition, we discuss the implementation of phonon circulators and switchable phonon routers, …
Precision measurement of non-linear observables is an important goal in all facets of quantum optics. This allows measurement-based non-classical state preparation, which has been applied to great success in various physical systems, and provides a route for quantum information processing with otherwise linear interactions. In cavity optomechanics much progress has been made using linear interactions and measurement, but observation of non-linear mechanical degrees-of-freedom remains outstanding. Here we report the observation of displacement-squared thermal motion of a micro-mechanical resona…
Quantum optomechanics uses optical means to generate and manipulate quantum states of motion of mechanical resonators. This provides an intriguing platform for the study of fundamental physics and the development of novel quantum devices. Yet, the challenge of reconstructing and verifying the quantum state of mechanical systems has remained a major roadblock in the field. Here, we present a novel approach that allows for tomographic reconstruction of the quantum state of a mechanical system without the need for extremely high quality optical cavities. We show that, without relying on the usual…
Quantum control of levitated dielectric particles is an emerging subject in quantum optomechanics. A major challenge is to efficiently measure and manipulate the particle's motion at the Heisenberg uncertainty limit. Here we present a nanophotonic interface suited to address this problem. By optically trapping a 150 nm silica particle and placing it in the near field of a photonic crystal cavity, we achieve tunable single-photon optomechanical coupling of up to $g_0/2π=9$ kHz, three orders of magnitude larger than previously reported for levitated cavity optomechanical systems. Efficient colle…
Optomechanical quantum interfaces can be utilized to connect systems with distinctively different frequencies in hybrid quantum networks. Here we present a scheme of nonreciprocal quantum state conversion between microwave and optical photons via an optomechanical interface. By introducing an auxiliary cavity and manipulating the phase differences between the linearized optomechanical couplings, uni-directional state transmission can be achieved. The interface can function as an isolator, a circulator, and a two-way switch that routes the input states to a selected output channel. We show that…
Electrically actuated optomechanical resonators provide a route to quantum-coherent, bidirectional conversion of microwave and optical photons. Such devices could enable optical interconnection of quantum computers based on qubits operating at microwave frequencies. Here we present a novel platform for microwave-to-optical conversion comprising a photonic crystal cavity made of single-crystal, piezoelectric gallium phosphide integrated on pre-fabricated niobium circuits on an intrinsic silicon substrate. The devices exploit spatially extended, sideband-resolved mechanical breathing modes at $\…
A nonlinear stimulated Raman adiabatic passage (STIRAP) is a fascinating physical process that dynamically explores chaotic and non-chaotic phases. In a recent paper Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 042004 (R) (2020), such a phenomenon is realized in a cavity-QED platform. There, the emergence of chaos and its impact on STIRAP efficiency are mainly demonstrated in the semiclassical limit. In the present paper I treat the problem in a fully quantum many-body framework. With the aim of extracting quantum signatures of a classically chaotic system, it is shown that an out-of-time-ordered correlator (OTOC) meas…
Single atoms coupled to a cavity offer unique opportunities as quantum optomechanical devices because of their small mass and strong interaction with light. A particular regime of interest in optomechanics is that of "single-photon strong coupling," where motional displacements on the order of the zero-point uncertainty are sufficient to shift the cavity resonance frequency by more than its linewidth. In many cavity QED platforms, however, this is unfeasible due to the large cavity linewidth. Here, we propose an alternative route in such systems, which instead relies on the coupling of atomic …
We propose nonreciprocal phonon lasing in a coupled cavity system composed of an optomechanical and a spinning resonator. We show that the optical Sagnac effect leads to significant modifications in both the mechanical gain and the power threshold for phonon lasing. More importantly, the phonon lasing in this system is unidirectional, that is the phonon lasing takes place when the coupled system is driven in one direction but not the other. Our work establishes the potential of spinning optomechanical devices for low-power mechanical isolation and unidirectional amplification. This provides a …
We theoretically investigate the optical response in a hybrid quantum optomechanical system consisting of two optically coupled micro-cavities in which a two-level system (qubit) is embedded on a movable membrane. The qubit can either be a defect which interacts with the mechanical oscillator via the linear Jaynes-Cummings interaction or a superconducting charge qubit coupled with the mechanical mode via nonlinear interaction. We find that coherent perfect transmission (CPT), coherent perfect synthesis (CPS) and optomechanically induced absorption (OMIA) can be generated by suitably adjusting …
We study the energy-level evolution and ground-state cooling of mechanical resonators under a synthetic phononic gauge field. The tunable gauge phase is mediated by the phase difference between the $\mathcal{PT}$- and anti-$\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric mechanical couplings in a multimode optomechanical system. The transmission spectrum then exhibits the asymmetric Fano line shape or double optomechanically induced transparency by modulating the gauge phase. Moreover, the eigenvalues will collapse and become degenerate although the mechanical coupling is continuously increased. Such counterintuitive…
We present high-reflectivity mechanical resonators fabricated from AlGaAs heterostructures for use in free-space optical cavities operating in the telecom wavelength regime. The mechanical resonators are fabricated in slabs of GaAs and patterned with a photonic crystal to increase their out-of-plane reflectivity. Characterization of the mechanical modes reveals residual tensile stress in the GaAs device layer. This stress results in higher mechanical frequencies than in unstressed GaAs and can be used for strain engineering of mechanical dissipation. Simultaneously, we find that the finite wai…
Dark-Mode Control of Contrasting Entanglement and Bell Nonlocality between Mechanical Oscillators
IMEC；Hasselt University（哈瑟尔特大学）；University of Ngaoundere（恩冈德雷大学）；Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), Wallenberg Research Centre at Stellenbosch University（斯泰伦博斯大学瓦伦伯格高级研究院（STIAS））；CNRS, Université de Lille, Centrale Lille, Université Polytechnique Hauts-de-France（法国国家科学研究中心、里尔大学、中央里尔学院、上法兰西理工学院）
Quantum control of engineered mechanical oscillators can be achieved by coupling the oscillator to an auxiliary degree of freedom, provided that the coherent rate of energy exchange exceeds the decoherence rate of each of the two sub-systems. We achieve such quantum-coherent coupling between the mechanical and optical modes of a micro-optomechanical system. Simultaneously, the mechanical oscillator is cooled to an average occupancy of n = 1.7 \pm 0.1 motional quanta. Pulsed optical excitation reveals the exchange of energy between the optical light field and the micromechanical oscillator in t…
Dissipative optomechanics studies the coupling of the motion of an optical element to the decay rate of a cavity. We propose and theoretically explore a realization of this system in the optical domain, using a combined Michelson--Sagnac interferometer, which enables a strong and tunable dissipative coupling. Quantum interference in such a setup results in the suppression of the lower motional sideband, leading to strongly enhanced cooling in the non-sideband-resolved regime. With state-of-the-art parameters, ground-state cooling and low-power quantum-limited position transduction are both pos…
We propose a domino-cooling method to realize simultaneous ground-state cooling of a coupled mechanical-resonator chain through an optomechanical cavity working in the unresolved-sideband regime. This domino-effect cooling is realized by combining the cold-damping feedback on the first mechanical resonator with nearest-neighbor couplings between other neighboring mechanical resonators. We obtain analytical results for the effective susceptibilities, noise spectra, final mean phonon numbers, and cooling rates of these mechanical resonators, and find the optimal-cooling condition for these reson…
Faithful conversion of quantum signals between microwave and optical frequency domains is crucial for building quantum networks based on superconducting circuits. Optoelectromechanical systems, in which microwave and optical cavity modes are coupled to a common mechanical oscillator, are a promising route towards this goal. In these systems, efficient, low-noise conversion is possible using a mechanically dark mode of the fields but the conversion bandwidth is limited to a fraction of the cavity linewidth. Here, we show that an array of optoelectromechanical transducers can overcome this limit…
The development of quantum computers and quantum simulators promises to provide solutions to problems, which can currently not be solved on classical computers. Finding the best physical implementation for such technologies is an important research topic and using optical effects is a promising route towards this goal. It was theoretically shown that optical quantum computing is possible using only single-photon sources and detectors, and linear optical circuits. An experimental implementation of such quantum optical circuits requires a stable, robust and scalable architecture. This can be ach…
