Signatures of nonlinear cavity optomechanics in the weak coupling regime

Published

August 2, 2013

Author(s)

John D. Teufel, Kjetil Borkje, Andeas Nunnenkamp, Steven Girvin

Abstract

We identify signatures of the intrinsic nonlinear interaction between light and mechanical motion in cavity optomechanical systems. These signatures are observable even when the cavity linewidth exceeds the optomechanical coupling rate. A strong laser drive red detuned by twice the mechanical frequency from the cavity resonance frequency makes two-phonon processes resonant, which leads to a nonlinear version of optomechanically induced transparency. This effect provides a new method of measuring the average phonon number of the mechanical oscillator. Furthermore, we show that if the strong laser drive is detuned by half the mechanical frequency, optomechanically induced transparency also occurs due to resonant two-photon processes. The cavity response to a second probe drive is in this case nonlinear in the probe power. These effects should be observable with optomechanical coupling strengths that have already been realized in experiments.

Citation

Physical Review Letters

Volume

111

Issue

5

Pub Type

Journals

Download Paper

https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.053603

Keywords

optomechanics, micromechanical, quantum optics

Citation

Teufel, J. , , K. , Nunnenkamp, A. and Girvin, S. (2013), Signatures of nonlinear cavity optomechanics in the weak coupling regime, Physical Review Letters, [online], https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.053603 (Accessed March 14, 2025)