51 research outputs found
Observation of non-Markovian micro-mechanical Brownian motion
All physical systems are to some extent open and interacting with their
environment. This insight, basic as it may seem, gives rise to the necessity of
protecting quantum systems from decoherence in quantum technologies and is at
the heart of the emergence of classical properties in quantum physics. The
precise decoherence mechanisms, however, are often unknown for a given system.
In this work, we make use of an opto-mechanical resonator to obtain key
information about spectral densities of its condensed-matter heat bath. In
sharp contrast to what is commonly assumed in high-temperature quantum Brownian
motion describing the dynamics of the mechanical degree of freedom, based on a
statistical analysis of the emitted light, it is shown that this spectral
density is highly non-Ohmic, reflected by non-Markovian dynamics, which we
quantify. We conclude by elaborating on further applications of opto-mechanical
systems in open system identification.Comment: 5+6 pages, 3 figures. Replaced by final versio
Mechanical overtone frequency combs
Mechanical frequency combs are poised to bring the applications and utility
of optical frequency combs into the mechanical domain. So far, their use has
been limited by strict conditions on drive frequencies and power, small
bandwidths and complicated modes of operation. We demonstrate a novel,
straightforward mechanism to create a frequency comb consisting of mechanical
overtones (integer multiples) of a single eigenfrequency, by monolithically
integrating a suspended dielectric membrane with a counter-propagating optical
trap generated via its own substrate. The periodic optical field modulates the
dielectrophoretic force on the membrane at integer multiples of the membrane's
frequency of motion, thus efficiently creating overtones of that frequency and
forming a frequency comb. Using the same periodic optical field, we
simultaneously demonstrate a strong, parametric thermal driving mechanism that
requires no additional power or frequency reference. The combination of these
effects results in a versatile, easy-to-use mechanical frequency comb platform
that requires no precise alignment, no additional feedback or control
electronics, and only uses a single, mW continuous wave laser beam. This
highlights the mechanical frequency comb as a low-power, on-chip alternative to
optical frequency combs for sensing, timing and metrology applications
Quantum mechanical effect of path-polarization contextuality for a single photon
Using measurements pertaining to a suitable Mach-Zehnder(MZ) type setup, a
curious quantum mechanical effect of contextuality between the path and the
polarization degrees of freedom of a polarized photon is demonstrated, without
using any notion of realism or hidden variables - an effect that holds good for
the product as well as the entangled states. This form of experimental
context-dependence is manifested in a way such that at \emph{either} of the two
exit channels of the MZ setup used, the empirically verifiable
\emph{subensemble} statistical properties obtained by an arbitrary polarization
measurement depend upon the choice of a commuting(comeasurable) path
observable, while this effect disappears for the \emph{whole ensemble} of
photons emerging from the two exit channels of the MZ setup.Comment: To be published in IJT
Nanomechanical motion measured with precision beyond the standard quantum limit
Nanomechanical oscillators are at the heart of ultrasensitive detectors of
force, mass and motion. As these detectors progress to even better sensitivity,
they will encounter measurement limits imposed by the laws of quantum
mechanics. For example, if the imprecision of a measurement of an oscillator's
position is pushed below the standard quantum limit (SQL), quantum mechanics
demands that the motion of the oscillator be perturbed by an amount larger than
the SQL. Minimizing this quantum backaction noise and nonfundamental, or
technical, noise requires an information efficient measurement. Here we
integrate a microwave cavity optomechanical system and a nearly noiseless
amplifier into an interferometer to achieve an imprecision below the SQL. As
the microwave interferometer is naturally operated at cryogenic temperatures,
the thermal motion of the oscillator is minimized, yielding an excellent force
detector with a sensitivity of 0.51 aN/rt(Hz). In addition, the demonstrated
efficient measurement is a critical step towards entangling mechanical
oscillators with other quantum systems.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure
Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.
Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes
A perspective on hybrid quantum opto- And electromechanical systems
Quantum opto- and electromechanical systems interface mechanical motion with the electromagnetic modes of optical resonators and microwave circuits. The capabilities and promise of these hybrid devices have been showcased through a variety of recent experimental advances that demonstrated exquisite control over the quantum state of solid-state mechanical objects. In this perspective, we offer an overview of the current state, as well as an outlook of the future directions, challenges, and opportunities for this growing field of research. We focus, in particular, on the prospects for ground state cooling of mechanical modes and their use in quantum circuits, transducers, and networks. Accepted Author ManuscriptQN/Groeblacher La
Coherent feedback in optomechanical systems in the sideband-unresolved regime
Preparing macroscopic mechanical resonators close to their motional quantum groundstate and generating entanglement with light offers great opportunities in studying fundamental physics and in developing a new generation of quantum applications. Here we propose an experimentally interesting scheme, which is particularly well suited for systems in the sideband-unresolved regime, based on coherent feedback with linear, passive optical components to achieve groundstate cooling and photon-phonon entanglement generation with optomechanical devices. We find that, by introducing an additional passive element – either a narrow linewidth cavity or a mirror with a delay line – an optomechanical system in the deeply sideband-unresolved regime will exhibit dynamics similar to one that is sideband-resolved. With this new approach, the experimental realization of groundstate cooling and optomechanical entanglement is well within reach of current integrated state-of-the-art high-Q mechanical resonators.QN/Groeblacher La
Coherent feedback in optomechanical systems in the sideband-unresolved regime
Preparing macroscopic mechanical resonators close to their motional quantum groundstate and generating entanglement with light offers great opportunities in studying fundamental physics and in developing a new generation of quantum applications. Here we propose an experimentally interesting scheme, which is particularly well suited for systems in the sideband-unresolved regime, based on coherent feedback with linear, passive optical components to achieve groundstate cooling and photon-phonon entanglement generation with optomechanical devices. We find that, by introducing an additional passive element – either a narrow linewidth cavity or a mirror with a delay line – an optomechanical system in the deeply sideband-unresolved regime will exhibit dynamics similar to one that is sideband-resolved. With this new approach, the experimental realization of groundstate cooling and optomechanical entanglement is well within reach of current integrated state-of-the-art high-Q mechanical resonators.QN/Groeblacher La
Integrated optical-readout of a high-Q mechanical out-of-plane mode
The rapid development of high-QM macroscopic mechanical resonators has enabled great advances in optomechanics. Further improvements could allow for quantum-limited or quantum-enhanced applications at ambient temperature. Some of the remaining challenges include the integration of high-QM structures on a chip, while simultaneously achieving large coupling strengths through an optical read-out. Here, we present a versatile fabrication method, which allows us to build fully integrated optomechanical structures. We place a photonic crystal cavity directly above a mechanical resonator with high-QM fundamental out-of-plane mode, separated by a small gap. The highly confined optical field has a large overlap with the mechanical mode, enabling strong optomechanical interaction strengths. Furthermore, we implement a novel photonic crystal design, which allows for a very large cavity photon number, a highly important feature for optomechanical experiments and sensor applications. Our versatile approach is not limited to our particular design but allows for integrating an out-of-plane optical read-out into almost any device layout. Additionally, it can be scaled to large arrays and paves the way to realizing quantum experiments and applications with mechanical resonators based on high-QM out-of-plane modes alike.QN/Groeblacher La
Stationary quantum entanglement between a massive mechanical membrane and a low frequency LC circuit
We study electro-mechanical entanglement in a system where a massive membrane is capacitively coupled to a low frequency LC resonator. In opto- and electro-mechanics, the entanglement between a megahertz (MHz) mechanical resonator and a gigahertz (GHz) microwave LC resonator has been widely and well explored, and recently experimentally demonstrated. Typically, coupling is realized through a radiation pressure-like interaction, and entanglement is generated by adopting an appropriate microwave drive. Through this approach it is however not evident how to create entanglement in the case where both the mechanical and LC oscillators are of low frequency, e.g., around 1 MHz. Here we provide an effective approach to entangling two low-frequency resonators by further coupling the membrane to an optical cavity. The cavity is strongly driven by a red-detuned laser, sequentially cooling the mechanical and electrical modes, which results in stationary electro-mechanical entanglement at experimentally achievable temperatures. The entanglement directly originates from the electro-mechanical coupling itself and due to its quantum nature will allow testing quantum theories at a more macroscopic scale than currently possible.QN/Groeblacher La
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