Enhancing optomechanical force sensing via precooling and quantum noise cancellation

We theoretically investigate optomechanical force sensing via precooling and quantum noise cancellation in two coupled cavity optomechanical systems.We show that force sensing based on the reduction of noise can be used to dramatically enhance the force sensing and that the precooling process can eifectively improve the quantum noise cancellation.Specifically,we examine the effect of optomechanical cooling and noise reduction on the spectral density of the noise of the force measurement;these processes can significantly enhance the performance of optomechanical force sensing,and setting up the system in the resolved sideband regime can lead to an optimization of the cooling processes in a hybrid system.Such a scheme serves as a promising platform for quantum back-action-evading measurements of the motion and a framework for an optomechanical force sensor.     

Starspots,stellar cycles and stellar flares: Lessons from solar dynamo models

We theoretically investigate the multistable behavior of a hybrid optomechanical system,in which a charged mechanical resonator is coupled via Coulomb interaction to an optomechanical cavity containing an optical parametric amplifier(OPA).It is shown that the multistable behavior of the mean intracavity photon number can be controlled flexibly by adjusting the nonlinear gain parameter of the OPA,the phase of the field pumping the OPA,the power and frequency of the field driving the cavity,and the Coulomb coupling strength between the two charged mechanical resonators.In particular,the increase of the nonlinear gain parameter can result in a transition from testability to Instability.Moreover,the effect of the Coulomb coupling strength on the bistable behavior of the steady-state positions of the two mechanical resonators is discussed.     

腔光力学系统中的量子测量

腔光力学系统近年来迅猛发展, 在精密测量、量子传感等方面已展现出重要的应用价值. 特别是与微纳技术和冷原子技术结合后, 这一系统正发展成为研究量子测量与量子操控的理想平台. 本文首先综述腔光力学在量子测量, 尤其是量子测量基础理论研究方面的进展; 然后分析腔光力学系统中的量子测量原理; 最后介绍我们近来在这方面的研究进展, 并通过我们设计的一系列新颖的基于腔光力学系统的量子测量方案来具体展示该系统在量子测量、量子操控等方面的潜在应用.     

Optomechanical sensing with on-chip microcavities

The coupling between optical and mechanical degrees of freedom has been of broad interest for a long time. However, it is only until recently, with the rapid development of optical mierocavity research, that we are able to manipulate and utilize this coupling process. When a high Q microeavity couples to a mechanical resonator, they can consolidate into an optomeehanieal system. Benefitting from the unique characteristics offered by optomeehanical coupling, this hybrid system has become a promising platform for ultrasensitive sensors to detect displacement, mass, force and acceleration. In this review, we introduce the basic physical concepts of cavity optomechanies, and describe some of the most typical experimental cavity optomechanical systems for sensing applications. Finally, we discuss the noise arising from various sources and show the potentiality of optomechanical sensing towards quantum-noise-limited detection.     

腔光力系统制备微波非经典态研究进展

腔光力系统作为一种新型的混合量子系统,因其超强耦合度、低温超导条件下极低的噪声、较长的相干时间等优势而成为被广受关注的量子实验平台.本文简要介绍腔光力学及腔光力系统基本原理,对常见腔光力系统进行分类,详细介绍利用广义腔光力系统进行微波非经典量子态制备的相关进展,对其性能优势和待解决问题进行分析,最后总结相关应用场景并对未来的潜在应用领域进行了展望.     

Review of cavity optomechanics in the weak-coupling regime: from linearization to intrinsic nonlinear interactions

Recently, cavity optomechanics has become a rapidly developing research field exploring the coupling between the optical field and mechanical oscillation. Cavity optomechanical systems were predicted to exhibit rich and nontrivial effects due to the nonlinear optomechanical interaction. However, most progress during the past years have focused on the linearization of the optomechanical interaction, which ignored the intrinsic nonlinear nature of the optomechanical coupling. Exploring nonlinear optomechanical interaction is of growing interest in both classical and quantum mechanisms, and nonlinear optomechanical interaction has emerged as an important new frontier in cavity optomechanics. It enables many applications ranging from single-photon sources to generation of nonclassical states. Here, we give a brief review of these developments and discuss some of the current challenges in this field.     

参量放大器腔中光力诱导透明与本征模劈裂性质

研究了在含有光学参量放大器的光力学腔中关于弱探测光的光力诱导透明与本征模劈裂的性质.研究发现,光学参量放大器的驱动场相位和非线性增益值的大小对光力诱导透明窗口宽度和本征模劈裂性质有非常重要的影响,特别是当控制光频率工作在光力学红边带下,通过适当调制相位和非线性增益可以实现比空腔时(没有光学参量放大器时)还狭窄的光力诱导透明窗口,此时伴随着陡峭的色散曲线.这些研究结果有利于在光力耦合系统中实现快慢光、光存储等量子信息处理过程.     

双光力诱导透明窗口的可调特性

提出一个杂化腔光力系统理论方案,利用两纳米机械振子间的库仑耦合作用实现弱探测光的双光力诱导透明窗口.研究边带可分辨区域和红失谐情况下双光力诱导透明窗口的可调特性.数值计算表明:两纳米振子间的库仑作用可有效地使单光力诱导透明窗口劈裂为双透明窗口.随着库仑耦合强度的增大,两透明窗口间的距离对称性地拉大;其次,光力腔衰减率的改变对两透明窗口的位置和深度无影响,仅对两透明窗口的宽度产生细微改变,测量精度可在坏腔情形下得到很好的保持;另外,仅增加参量放大器的非线性增益参量将使两透明窗口变宽,而引入驱动参量放大器的光场相位,利用相位匹配可以产生比空腔情形更加狭窄陡峭的双透明窗口,可用于比空腔情况更加精密的测量.     

Enhanced phase sensitivity with a nonconventional interferometer and nonlinear phase shifter

We propose a theoretical scheme of an enhanced phase sensitivity by introducing a nonlinear phase shifter to the nonconventional interferometer consisting of a balanced beam splitter (BBS) and an optical parameter amplifier (OPA), a modified nonlinear interferometer (MNI). Then we use coherent state and even coherent state as inputs and homodyne detection at one output port of the MNI for phase sensitivity, both without and with photon losses. We find that the nonlinear phase shifter can not only improve phase sensitivity, but also significantly resist the decoherence from photon losses. In comparison to both the BBS+OPA scheme with linear phase shifter and the traditional Mach–Zehnder interferometer with nonlinear one, the phase sensitivity of the MNI scheme shows the best performance. It is interesting that the nonlinear phase shifter can stimulate potential of the OPA, although there is no improvement in signal-to-noise ratio beyond standard quantum limit for the BBS+OPA scheme with a linear phase shifter.     

Strong Coupling Optomechanics Mediated by a Qubit in the Dispersive Regime

Cavity optomechanics represents a flexible platform for the implementation of quantum technologies, useful in particular for the realization of quantum interfaces, quantum sensors and quantum information processing. However, the dispersive, radiation–pressure interaction between the mechanical and the electromagnetic modes is typically very weak, harnessing up to now the demonstration of interesting nonlinear dynamics and quantum control at the single photon level. It has already been shown both theoretically and experimentally that if the interaction is mediated by a Josephson circuit, one can have an effective dynamics corresponding to a huge enhancement of the single-photon optomechanical coupling. Here we analyze in detail this phenomenon in the general case when the cavity mode and the mechanical mode interact via an off-resonant qubit. Using a Schrieffer–Wolff approximation treatment, we determine the regime where this tripartite hybrid system behaves as an effective cavity optomechanical system in the strong coupling regime.     

回音壁微腔光力系统的相干控制与完全相干透射

本文研究了两侧同时输入的回音壁模谐振双微腔光力系统中电磁诱导透明的相干调控.通过改变双微腔两侧探测场的强度比值及相位差,可以有效控制电磁诱导透明窗口的宽度和深度,对探测场的吸收和色散等性质实施显著的影响,并且能够在特殊频率处产生关于探测场的完全相干透射现象.     

Normal Mode Splitting in a Cavity Optomechanical System with a Cubic Anharmonic Oscillator

The strong coupling between a macroscopic mechanical oscillator and a cavity field is essential for many quantum phenomena in a cavity optomechanical system. In this work, we discuss the normal mode splitting in a cavity optomechanical system with a cubic nonlinear movable mirror. We study how the mechanical nonlinearity affects the normal-mode splitting behavior of the movable mirror and the output field. We find that the mechanical nonlinearity can increase the peak separation in the spectra of the movable mirror and the output field. We also find that the heights and linewidths of the two peaks are very sensitive to the mechanical nonlinearity.

     

Cavity optomechanics: Manipulating photons and phonons towards the single-photon strong coupling

Cavity optomechanical systems provide powerful platforms to manipulate photons and phonons, open potential applications for modern optical communications and precise measurements. With the refrigeration and ground-state cooling technologies, studies of cavity optomechanics are making significant progress towards the quantum regime including nonclassical state preparation, quantum state tomography, quantum information processing, and future quantum internet. With further research, it is found that abundant physical phenomena and important applications in both classical and quantum regimes appeal as they have a strong optomechanical nonlinearity, which essentially depends on the single-photon optomechanical coupling strength. Thus, engineering the optomechanical interactions and improving the single-photon optomechanical coupling strength become very important subjects. In this article, we first review several mechanisms,theoretically proposed for enhancing optomechanical coupling. Then, we review the experimental progresses on enhancing optomechanical coupling by optimizing its structure and fabrication process. Finally, we review how to use novel structures and materials to enhance the optomechanical coupling strength. The manipulations of the photons and phonons at the level of strong optomechanical coupling are also summarized.     

Cavity optomechanics with cold atomic gas

We present a tutorial review on the topics related to current development in cavity optomechanics, with special emphasis on cavity optomechanical effects with ultracold gases, Bose-Einstein condensates, and spinor Bose-Einstein condensates. Topics including the quantum model and nonlinearity of the cavity optomechanics, the principles of optomechanical cooling, radiation-pressure-induced nonlinear states, the chaotic dynamics in a condensate-mirror-hybrid optomechanical setup, and the spin-mixing dynamics controlled by optical cavities are covered.     

原子辅助光力系统中快慢光的量子调控

随着纳米科技以及半导体技术的迅猛发展,光力诱导透明、快慢光和光存储以及其他在光力系统中发现的量子光学和非线性光学效应成为人们目前研究的热点.本文将薄膜腔光力系统同被束缚在腔中的二能级冷原子系综相耦合,通过直接在薄膜振子上引入弱辅助驱动场来研究该原子辅助光力系统中原子和相位对量子相干性质及其快慢光的调控.经过分析发现,通过改变辅助驱动场的强度可直接实现对光力诱导透明窗口深度的调控,通过改变辅助场与探测场之间的相位差,可实现输出的探测场在"吸收"、"透明"和"增益"之间相互转换,进而对弱探测场进行动态调控实现光开关.与此同时,还发现系统的群延迟时间随相位差的改变呈周期性变化.通过调节相位差及原子数,不但可以改变群延迟时间,还可实现快慢光之间的相互转换.     

Adiabatic state conversion and pulse transmission in optomechanical systems

Optomechanical systems with strong coupling can be a powerful medium for quantum state engineering of the cavity modes. Here, we show that quantum state conversion between cavity modes of distinctively different wavelengths can be realized with high fidelity by adiabatically varying the effective optomechanical couplings. The conversion fidelity for gaussian states is derived by solving the Langevin equation in the adiabatic limit. Meanwhile, we also show that traveling photon pulses can be transmitted between different input and output channels with high fidelity and the output pulse can be engineered via the optomechanical couplings.     

Cavity-mediated stationary atom–mirror entanglement in the presence of photothermal effects

We study stationary entanglement properties of an optomechanical system containing an atomic ensemble. We focus onto the case of the movable mirror strongly coupled to the cavity field through both radiation pressure and photothermal force. Exploiting a quantum Langevin equation approach we investigate the bipartite entanglement properties of various bipartite subsystems as well as stationary tripartite entanglement of the system. We particularly study robustness of the atom–mirror entanglement against temperature. We show that, even though the photothermal force is a dissipative force, it can significantly improve the cavity mediated atom–mirror entanglement.     

Suppressing laser phase noise in an optomechanical system

We propose a scheme to suppress the laser phase noise without increasing the optomechanical single-photon coupling strength.In the scheme,the parametric amplification terms,created by Kerr and Duffing nonlinearities,can restrain laser phase noise and strengthen the effective optomechanical coupling,respectively.Interestingly,decreasing laser phase noise leads to increasing thermal noise,which is inhibited by bringing in a broadband-squeezed vacuum environment.To reflect the superiority of the scheme,we simulate quantum memory and stationary optomechanical entanglement as examples,and the corresponding numerical results demonstrate that the laser phase noise is extremely suppressed.Our method can pave the way for studying other quantum phenomena.     

Dissipation-induced topological phase transition and periodic-driving-induced photonic topological state transfer in a small optomechanical lattice

We propose a scheme to investigate the topological phase transition and the topological state transfer based on the small optomechanical lattice under the realistic parameters regime.We find that the optomechanical lattice can be equivalent to a topologically nontrivial Su-Schrieffer Heeger(SSH)model via designing the effective optomechanical coupling.Especially,the optomechanical lattice experiences the phase transition between topologically nontrivial SSH phase and topologically trivial SSH phase by controlling the decay of the cavity field and the opto mechanical coupling.We stress that the to pological phase transition is mainly induced by the decay of the cavity field,which is counter-intuitive since the dissipation is usually detrimental to the system.Also,we investigate the photonic state transfer between the two cavity fields via the topologically protected edge channel based on the small optomechanical lattice.We find that the quantum st ate transfer assisted by the topological zero energy mode can be achieved via implying the external lasers with the periodical driving amplitudes into the cavity fields.Our scheme provides the fundamental and the insightful explanations towards the mapping of the photonic topological insulator based on the micro-nano optomechanical quantum optical platform.     

Detecting nanoparticles by “listening”

In the macroscopic world, we can obtain some important information through the vibration of objects, that is, listening to the sound. Likewise, we can also get some information of the nanoparticles that we want to know by the means of “listening” in the microscopic world. In this review, we will introduce two sensing methods (cavity optomechanical sensing and surface-enhanced Raman scattering sensing) which can be used to detect the nanoparticles. The cavity optomechanical systems are mainly used to detect sub-gigahertz nano particle or cavity vibrations, while surface-enhanced Raman scattering is a well-known technique to detect molecular vibrations whose frequency generally exceeds terahertz. Therefore, the vibrational information of nanoparticles from low-frequency to high-frequency could be obtained by these two methods. The size of the viruses is at the nanoscale and we can regard it as a kind of nanoparticles. Rapid and ultrasensitive detection of the viruses is the key strategies to break the spread of the viruses in the community. Cavity optomechanical sensing enables rapid, ultrasensitive detection of nanoparticles through the interaction of light and mechanical oscillators and surface-enhanced Raman scattering is an attractive qualitatively analytical technique for chemical sensing and biomedical applications, which has been used to detect the SARS-CoV-2 infected. Hence, investigation in these two fields is of vital importance in preventing the spread of the virus from affecting human’s life and health.