2011

Quantum-mechanical theory of optomechanical Brillouin cooling

Quantum-mechanical theory of optomechanical Brillouin cooling

Matthew Tomes, Florian Marquardt, Gaurav Bahl, Tal Carmon

Physical Review A 84 (6) 063806 (2011) | Journal | PDF

We analyze how to exploit Brillouin scattering of light from sound for the purpose of cooling optomechanical devices and present a quantum-mechanical theory for Brillouin cooling. Our analysis shows that significant cooling ratios can be obtained with standard experimental parameters. A further improvement of cooling efficiency is possible by increasing the dissipation of the optical anti-Stokes resonance.

Collective Dynamics in Optomechanical Arrays

Collective Dynamics in Optomechanical Arrays

Georg Heinrich, Max Ludwig, Jiang Qian, Bjoern Kubala, Florian Marquardt

Physical Review Letters 107 (4) 043603 (2011) | Journal | PDF

Optomechanical systems couple light stored inside an optical cavity to the motion of a mechanical mode. Recent experiments have demonstrated setups, such as photonic crystal structures, that in principle allow one to confine several optical and vibrational modes on a single chip. Here we start to investigate the collective nonlinear dynamics in arrays of coupled optomechanical cells. We show that such "optomechanical arrays" can display synchronization, and that they can be described by an effective Kuramoto-type model.

Dynamics of coupled multimode and hybrid optomechanical systems

Dynamics of coupled multimode and hybrid optomechanical systems

Georg Heinrich, Max Ludwig, Huaizhi Wu, K. Hammerer, Florian Marquardt

Comptes Rendus Physique 12 (9-10) 837-847 (2011) | Journal

Recent experimental developments have brought into focus optomechanical systems containing multiple optical and mechanical modes interacting with each other. Examples include a setup with a movable membrane between two end-mirrors and "optomechanical crystal" devices that support localized optical and mechanical modes in a photonic crystal type structure. We discuss how mechanical driving of such structures results in coherent photon transfer between optical modes, and how the physics of Landau-Zener-Stueckelberg oscillations arises in this context. Another area where multiple modes are involved are hybrid systems. There, we review the recent proposal of a single atom whose mechanical motion is coupled to a membrane via the light field. This is a special case of the general principle of cavity-mediated mechanical coupling. Such a setup would allow the well-developed tools of atomic physics to be employed to access the quantum state of the 'macroscopic' mechanical mode of the membrane. (C) 2011 Academie des sciences. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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