Quantum dynamics of a vibrational mode of a membrane within an optical cavity

Optomechanical systems are a promising candidate for the implementation of quantum interfaces for storing and redistributing quantum information. Here we focus on the case of a high-finesse optical cavity with a thin vibrating semitransparent membrane in the middle. We show that robust and stationary optomechanical entanglement could be achieved in the system, even in the presence of nonnegligible optical absorption in the membrane. We also present some preliminary experimental data showing radiation-pressure induced optical bistability.Comment: 6 pages, 2 figures. Work presented at the conference QCMC 2010 held on 19-23 July 2010 at the University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australi

Frequency noise cancellation in optomechanical systems for ponderomotive squeezing

Ponderomotive squeezing of the output light of an optical cavity has been recently observed in the MHz range in two different cavity optomechanical devices. Quadrature squeezing becomes particularly useful at lower spectral frequencies, for example in gravitational wave interferometers, despite being more sensitive to excess phase and frequency noise. Here we show a phase/frequency noise cancellation mechanism due to destructive interference which can facilitate the production of ponderomotive squeezing in the kHz range and we demonstrate it experimentally in an optomechanical system formed by a Fabry-P\'{e}rot cavity with a micro-mechanical mirror.Comment: 11 pages, 9 figures. Physical explanation expanded. Modified figure

Tunable linear and quadratic optomechanical coupling for a tilted membrane within an optical cavity: theory and experiment

We present an experimental study of an optomechanical system formed by a vibrating thin semi-transparent membrane within a high-finesse optical cavity. We show that the coupling between the optical cavity modes and the vibrational modes of the membrane can be tuned by varying the membrane position and orientation. In particular we demonstrate a large quadratic dispersive optomechanical coupling in correspondence with avoided crossings between optical cavity modes weakly coupled by scattering at the membrane surface. The experimental results are well explained by a first order perturbation treatment of the cavity eigenmodes.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Production of peroxy nitrates in boreal biomass burning plumes over Canada during the BORTAS campaign

The observations collected during the BOReal forest fires on Tropospheric oxidants over the Atlantic using Aircraft and Satellites (BORTAS) campaign in summer 2011 over Canada are analysed to study the impact of forest fire emissions on the formation of ozone (O₃) and total peroxy nitrates ∑PNs, ∑ROONO₂). The suite of measurements on board the BAe-146 aircraft, deployed in this campaign, allows us to calculate the production of O₃ and of  ∑PNs, a long-lived NO_<i>x</i> reservoir whose concentration is supposed to be impacted by biomass burning emissions. In fire plumes, profiles of carbon monoxide (CO), which is a well-established tracer of pyrogenic emission, show concentration enhancements that are in strong correspondence with a significant increase of concentrations of ∑PNs, whereas minimal increase of the concentrations of O₃ and NO₂ is observed. The ∑PN and O₃ productions have been calculated using the rate constants of the first- and second-order reactions of volatile organic compound (VOC) oxidation. The ∑PN and O₃ productions have also been quantified by 0-D model simulation based on the Master Chemical Mechanism. Both methods show that in fire plumes the average production of ∑PNs and O₃ are greater than in the background plumes, but the increase of ∑PN production is more pronounced than the O₃ production. The average ∑PN production in fire plumes is from 7 to 12 times greater than in the background, whereas the average O₃ production in fire plumes is from 2 to 5 times greater than in the background. These results suggest that, at least for boreal forest fires and for the measurements recorded during the BORTAS campaign, fire emissions impact both the oxidized NO_<i>y</i> and O_3, but (1 ∑PN production is amplified significantly more than O₃ production and (2) in the forest fire plumes the ratio between the O₃ production and the ∑PN production is lower than the ratio evaluated in the background air masses, thus confirming that the role played by the ∑PNs produced during biomass burning is significant in the O₃ budget. The implication of these observations is that fire emissions in some cases, for example boreal forest fires and in the conditions reported here, may influence more long-lived precursors of O₃ than short-lived pollutants, which in turn can be transported and eventually diluted in a wide area

Impact of Biomass Burning emission on total peroxy nitrates: fire plume identification during the BORTAS campaign

Total peroxy nitrate (Sigma PN) concentrations have been measured using a thermal dissociation laser-induced fluorescence (TD-LIF) instrument during the BORTAS campaign, which focused on the impact of boreal biomass burning (BB) emissions on air quality in the Northern Hemisphere. The strong correlation observed between the Sigma PN concentrations and those of carbon monoxide (CO), a well-known pyrogenic tracer, suggests the possible use of the Sigma PN concentrations as marker of the BB plumes. Two methods for the identification of BB plumes have been applied: (1) Sigma PN concentrations higher than 6 times the standard deviation above the background and (2) Sigma PN concentrations higher than the 99th percentile of the Sigma PNs measured during a background flight (B625); then we compared the percentage of BB plume selected using these methods with the percentage evaluated, applying the approaches usually used in literature. Moreover, adding the pressure threshold (similar to 750 hPa) as ancillary parameter to Sigma PNs, hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and CO, the BB plume identification is improved. A recurrent artificial neural network (ANN) model was adapted to simulate the concentrations of Sigma PNs and HCN, including nitrogen oxide (NO), acetonitrile (CH3CN), CO, ozone (O-3) and atmospheric pressure as input parameters, to verify the specific role of these input data to better identify BB plumes