We
investigate how radiation pressure can be used to influence the mechanical
motion of a micro-mirror suspended from springs. This trampoline resonator is
part of an optical Fabry-Perot cavity. By tuning the laser frequency with
respect to the optical resonance, we are able to optically cool the mechanical
motion of the resonator. When combining this optical cooling with cryogenic
cooling techniques, we are able to bring the mechanical resonator close to the
quantum mechanical ground state. This is a requirement for future experiments
to investigate the fundamentals of quantum mechanics. Quantum Matter and Optic
