Abstract
Optomechanical coupling between a light field and the motion of a cavity mirror via radiation pressure plays an important role for the exploration of macroscopic quantum physics and for the detection of gravitational waves (GWs). It has been used to cool mechanical oscillators into their quantum ground states and has been considered to boost the sensitivity of GW detectors, e.g., via the optical spring effect. Here, we present the experimental characterization of generalized, that is, dispersive and dissipative, optomechanical coupling, with a macroscopic -size silicon nitride membrane in a cavity-enhanced Michelson-type interferometer. We report for the first time strong optomechanical cooling based on dissipative coupling, even on cavity resonance, in excellent agreement with theory. Our result will allow for new experimental regimes in macroscopic quantum physics and GW detection.
- Received 8 September 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.114.043601
© 2015 American Physical Society
Viewpoint
Cool and Heavy
Published 26 January 2015
A new scheme for cooling a mechanical oscillator in a cavity may allow the observation of quantum effects on macroscopic objects and the realization of ultrasensitive gravitational-wave detectors.
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