69 research outputs found
Optomechanical cooling in a continuous system
Radiation-pressure-induced optomechanical coupling permits exquisite control
of micro- and mesoscopic mechanical oscillators. This ability to manipulate and
even damp mechanical motion with light---a process known as dynamical
backaction cooling---has become the basis for a range of novel phenomena within
the burgeoning field of cavity optomechanics, spanning from dissipation
engineering to quantum state preparation. As this field moves toward more
complex systems and dynamics, there has been growing interest in the prospect
of cooling traveling-wave phonons in continuous optomechanical waveguides.
Here, we demonstrate optomechanical cooling in a continuous system for the
first time. By leveraging the dispersive symmetry breaking produced by
inter-modal Brillouin scattering, we achieve continuous mode optomechanical
cooling in an extended 2.3-cm silicon waveguide, reducing the temperature of a
band of traveling-wave phonons by more than 30 K from room temperature. This
work reveals that optomechanical cooling is possible in macroscopic linear
waveguide systems without an optical cavity or discrete acoustic modes.
Moreover, through an intriguing type of wavevector-resolved phonon
spectroscopy, we show that this system permits optomechanical control over
continuously accessible groups of phonons and produces a new form of
nonreciprocal reservoir engineering. Beyond this study, this work represents a
first step towards a range of novel classical and quantum traveling-wave
operations in continuous optomechanical systems.Comment: Manuscript with supplementary information. 17 pages, 4 Figures. Minor
correction in Fig.
Quantum optomechanics in tripartite systems
Owing to their long-lifetimes at cryogenic temperatures, mechanical
oscillators are recognized as an attractive resource for quantum information
science and as a testbed for fundamental physics. Key to these applications is
the ability to prepare, manipulate and measure quantum states of mechanical
motion. Through an exact formal solution to the Schrodinger equation, we show
how tripartite optomechanical interactions, involving the mutual coupling
between two distinct optical modes and an acoustic resonance enables quantum
states of mechanical oscillators to be synthesized and interrogated.Comment: 8 pages, 4 figure
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