Signatures of Nonlinear Cavity Optomechanics in the Weak Coupling Regime

TY - JOUR

T1 - Signatures of Nonlinear Cavity Optomechanics in the Weak Coupling Regime

AU - Børkje, Kjetil

AU - Nunnenkamp, Andreas

AU - Teufel, John D.

AU - Girvin, Steven M.

PY - 2013/8/2

Y1 - 2013/8/2

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.053603

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.111.053603

M3 - Letter

C2 - 23952399

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 111

SP - 053603

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 5

ER -