Squeezing a Thermal Mechanical Oscillator by Stabilized Parametric Effect on the Optical Spring

Year: 2014

Authors: Pontin A., Bonaldi B., Borrielli A., Cataliotti F.S., Marino F., Prodi G.A., Serra E., Marin F.

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

Abstract: We report the confinement of an optomechanical micro-oscillator in a squeezed thermal state, obtained by parametric modulation of the optical spring. We propose and implement an experimental scheme based on parametric feedback control of the oscillator, which stabilizes the amplified quadrature while leaving the orthogonal one unaffected. This technique allows us to surpass the -3 dB limit in the noise reduction, associated with parametric resonance, with a best experimental result of -7.4 dB. While the present experiment is in the classical regime, in a moderately cooled system our technique may allow squeezing of a macroscopic mechanical oscillator below the zero-point motion.

Journal/Review: PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS

Volume: 112 (2)      Pages from: 023601  to: 023601

More Information: F.M. thanks M. Prevedelli for the discussion on phase locking. This work has been supported by the European Commission (ITN-Marie Curie project cQOM), by MIUR (PRIN 2010-2011), and by INFN (HUMOR project).
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.023601

Citations: 49
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