Quantum oscillators in Gaussian states are often characterized by average occupation numbers that refer to a basis of eigenstates of the non-interacting oscillator Hamiltonian. We argue that quantum state purity is a more appropriate characteristic of such states, which can be applied to oscillators of any dimensionality. For a one-dimensional oscillator, the state purity is directly related to a thermal occupation number defined with respect to the number state basis in which the oscillator's quantum state is thermal. Thus, it naturally introduces a more versatile definition of an average occupation number. We study optomechanical sideband cooling of one- and two-dimensional mechanical oscillators in particular, and derive exact analytical expressions for the maximal mechanical state purity achievable in the quantum backaction limit. In the case of a one-dimensional oscillator, we show that the thermal occupation number related to purity can be well approximated by the average phonon number in the weak-coupling regime, but that the two differ in the regime of ultrastrong optomechanical coupling or in cases where the oscillator's resonance frequency is strongly renormalized.
High purity two-dimensional levitated mechanical oscillator
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze（佛罗伦萨大学物理与天文学系）；INFN, Sezione di Firenze（意大利国家核物理研究所佛罗伦萨分部）；CNR-INO（意大利国家研究委员会光电子学与光学研究所）；European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS)（欧洲非线性光谱学实验室）
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）
