2016/02/29 by Michael Page, Michael A Page, Yiqiu Ma +9
Physics and Astronomy · #Force Microscopy Techniques and Applications #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Noise (video) #Optical cavity #Optical radiation #Optomechanics #Pendulum #Pulsars and Gravitational Waves Research #Quantum #Quantum noise #Radiation pressure #Resonator #Thermal #physics.optics #quant-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0022-3727/49/45/455104
13 pages, 11 figures. Third revision: Uploaded revised version upon considerations of the referees selected at Journal of Physics D: Applied Physics. PACS Numbers: 42.50.Pq, 42.50.Lc
openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · arxiv created 2016/08/22 · openalex publication_date 2016/10/17 · arxiv updated 2016/11/23 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
Thermal noise generally greatly exceeds quantum noise in optomechanical devices unless the mechanical frequency is very high or the thermodynamic temperature is very low. This paper addresses the design concept for a novel optomechanical device capable of ultrahigh quality factors in the audio frequency band with negligible thermal noise. The proposed system consists of a minimally supported millimeter scale pendulum mounted in a double end-mirror sloshing cavity that is topologically equivalent to a membrane-in-the-middle cavity. The radiation pressure inside the high-finesse cavity allows for high optical stiffness, cancellation of terms which lead to unwanted negative damping and suppression of quantum radiation pressure noise. We solve the optical spring dynamics of the system using the Hamiltonian, find the noise spectral density and show that stable optical trapping is possible. We also assess various loss mechanisms, one of the most important being the acceleration loss due to the optical spring. We show that practical devices, starting from a centre-of-mass pendulum frequency of 0.1 Hz, could achieve a maximum quality factor of (10 14 ) with optical spring stiffened frequency 1–10 kHz. Small resonators of mass 1 g or less could achieve a Q -factor of (10 11 ) at a frequency of 100 kHz. Applications for such devices include white light cavities for improvement of gravitational wave detectors, or sensors able to operate near the quantum limit.