Quantum Signature of a Squeezed Mechanical Oscillator

Year: 2020

Authors: Chowdhury A., Vezio P., Bonaldi M., Borrielli A., Marino F., Morana B., Prodi G. A., Sarro P. M., Serra E., Marin F.

Autors Affiliation: CNR-INO, L.go Enrico Fermi 6, I-50125 Firenze, Italy; European Laboratory for Non-Linear Spectroscopy (LENS), Via Carrara 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy; Institute of Materials for Electronics and Magnetism, Nanoscience-Trento-FBK Division, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy; Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Application, I-38123 Povo, Trento, Italy; INFN, Sezione di Firenze, Via Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy; Dept. of Microelectronics and Computer Engineering /ECTM/DIMES, Delft University of Technology, Feldmanweg 17, 2628 CT Delft, Netherlands; Dipartimento di Fisica, Universit`a di Trento, I-38123 Povo, Trento, Italy;
Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università di Firenze, Via Sansone 1, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino (FI), Italy.

Abstract: Recent optomechanical experiments have observed nonclassical properties in macroscopic mechanical oscillators. A key indicator of such properties is the asymmetry in the strength of the motional sidebands produced in the probe electromagnetic field, which is originated by the noncommutativity between the oscillator ladder operators. Here we extend the analysis to a squeezed state of an oscillator embedded in an optical cavity, produced by the parametric effect originated by a suitable combination of optical fields. The motional sidebands assume a peculiar shape, related to the modified system dynamics, with asymmetric features revealing and quantifying the quantum component of the squeezed oscillator motion.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 124      Pages from: 023601-1  to: 023601-6

KeyWords: Quantum Optomechanics, quantum optics
DOI: doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.023601