Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

arXiv:1012.5632 · AIP conference proceedings

Quantum dynamics of a vibrational mode of a membrane within an optical cavity

Marin Karuza, C. Biancofiore, M. Galassi, Riccardo Natali, Giovanni Di Giuseppe, P. Tombesi, David Vitali, Timothy C. Ralph, Ping Koy Lam

Published Jan 1, 2011• 4 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Optomechanical systems are a promising candidate for the implementation of quantum interfaces for storing and redistributing quantum information. Here we focus on the case of a high‐finesse optical cavity with a thin vibrating semitransparent membrane in the middle. We show that robust and stationary optomechanical entanglement could be achieved in the system, even in the presence of nonnegligible optical absorption in the membrane. We also present some preliminary experimental data showing radiation‐pressure induced optical bistability.

DOI
10.1063/1.3630212

Related papers

On the limitations of an optomechanical route to quantum macroscopicity of superposition states

Andrew Carlisle, Hyeokshin Kwon, Hyunseok Jeong +2 more

Optomechanics is currently believed to provide a promising route towards the achievement of genuine quantum effects at the large, massive-system scale. By using a recently proposed figure of merit that is well suited to address continuous-variable systems, in this paper we question such expectation. We quantify the degree of macroscopicity of the state of a vibrating mechanical mode (embodied by an end-cavity cantilever or a membrane placed within an optical cavity) achieved through its radiation-pressure coupling to a quantized field of light. By showing that quite demanding conditions should be met in order to be able to claim for genuine macroscopic quantum superpositions, our investigation poses substantial doubts on the suitability of current experimental configurations in optomechanics.

•Nov 28, 2014•1 citation

Quantum effects in optomechanical systems

Claudiu Genes, Andrea Mari, David Vitali +1 more

The search for experimental demonstrations of the quantum behavior of macroscopic mechanical resonators is a fastly growing field of investigation and recent results suggest that the generation of quantum states of resonators with a mass at the microgram scale is within reach. In this chapter we give an overview of two important topics within this research field: cooling to the motional ground state, and the generation of entanglement involving mechanical, optical and atomic degrees of freedom. We focus on optomechanical systems where the resonator is coupled to one or more driven cavity modes by the radiation pressure interaction. We show that robust stationary entanglement between the mechanical resonator and the output fields of the cavity can be generated, and that this entanglement can be transferred to atomic ensembles placed within the cavity. These results show that optomechanical devices are interesting candidates for the realization of quantum memories and interfaces for continuous variable quantum communication networks.

arXiv:0901.2726•Jan 19, 2009•6 citations

Optical entanglement facilitated by a hot mechanical oscillator

Aleksandr V. Karpenko, Andrey B. Matsko, Sergey P. Vyatchanin

Optomechanical generation of entangled optical beams is usually hindered by thermal noise. We present a theoretical study of low frequency entanglement generation between two optical harmonics emitted from a cavity optomechanical system operating in the resolved-sideband regime. The system comprises three nearly equidistant optical modes in a high-finesse cavity, with the central mode coherently driven. This configuration enables radiation-pressure interactions that generate strong quantum correlations between the two sideband modes. Remarkably, these correlations persist even at large numbers of thermal quanta if one properly engineers the optical cooling rate of the mechanical mode. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of robust entanglement under ambient conditions, opening new avenues for hybrid quantum technologies based on mechanical interfaces and continuous-variable quantum information processing.

quant-pharXiv:2511.17244•Physical Review A•Nov 24, 2025•0 citations

Effects of quadratic coupling and squeezed vacuum injection in an optomechanical cavity assisted with a Bose-Einstein condensate

Ali Dalafi, M. H. Naderi, Ali Motazedifard

We investigate theoretically a hybrid system consisting of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped inside a laser-driven membrane-in-the-middle optomechanical cavity assisted with squeezed vacuum injection whose moving membrane interacts both linearly and quadratically with the radiation pressure of the cavity. It is shown that such a hybrid system is very suitable for generating strong quadrature squeezing in the mechanical mode of the membrane and the Bogoliubov mode of the BEC in the unresolved sideband regime. More interestingly, by choosing a suitable sign for the quadratic optomechanical coupling (QOC), one can achieve a very high degree of squeezing in the mechanical mode and a strong entanglement between the mechanical and atomic modes without the necessity of using squeezed light injection. Furthermore, the QOC changes the effective oscillation frequencies of both the mechanical and the atomic modes and affects their relaxation times. It can also make the system switch from optical bistability to tristability.

arXiv:1802.10394•Physical Review A•Apr 19, 2018•56 citations

Entangled-state engineering of vibrational modes in a multimembrane optomechanical system

Xun‐Wei Xu, Yan-Jun Zhao, Yu-xi Liu

We propose an efficient method to generate entangled states of vibrational modes of membranes which are coupled to a single-mode cavity field via the radiation pressure. By using sideband excitations, we show that arbitrary entangled states of vibrational modes in different membranes can be produced in principle by sequentially applying a series of classical pulses with desired frequencies, phases, and durations. As examples, we show how to synthesize several typical entangled states, such as Bell states, NOON states, Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, and W states. The environmental effect, information leakage, and experimental feasibility are briefly discussed. Our proposal can be applied to different setups of optomechanical systems, in which vibrating modes of many mechanical resonators are coupled to a single-mode cavity.

arXiv:1303.0077•Physical Review A•Aug 20, 2013•78 citations

Optomechanical coupling between ultracold atoms and a membrane oscillator

Maria Korppi

In this thesis, I report on the realization of a hybrid optomechanical system in which ultracold atoms are coupled to a micromechanical membrane. The atoms are trapped in the intensity maxima of an optical standing wave formed by retroreflection of a laser beam from the membrane surface. Vibrations of the membrane displace the standing wave, thus coupling to the center-of-mass motion of the atomic ensemble. Conversely, atoms imprint their motion onto the laser light, thereby modulating the radiation pressure force on the membrane. In this way, the laser light mediates a long-distance, coherent coupling between the two systems. \n \nWhen the trap frequency of the atoms is matched to the membrane frequency, we observe resonant energy transfer. In addition, by applying simultaneous laser cooling to the atoms, we can dissipate energy from the coupled system leading to sympathetic cooling of the membrane mode. The experimental data follows the theoretical estimations that predict the coupling to scale with the number of trapped atoms. Furthermore, by including the finite temperature of the atoms and their spatially inhomogeneous trapping potential in the theoretical model of the optomechanical coupling, we can accurately describe the width and shape of the resonance. \n \nIn an improved experimental setup, the membrane is enclosed in a cavity while the atoms are trapped in the standing wave lattice outside the cavity. The presence of the cavity results in a considerable enhancement of the coupling strength in proportion to the cavity finesse. So far we have observed sympathetic cooling of the membrane mode by a factor of 32 starting from room temperature. Theoretical estimates show that in such a setup ground-state cooling of the membrane mode should be possible, allowing one to access the quantum coherent coupling regime.

•Jan 1, 2014•0 citations
Optomechanical systems are a promising candidate for the implementation of quantum interfaces for storing and redistributing quantum information. Here we focus on the case of a high‐finesse optical cavity with a thin vibrating semitransparent membrane in the middle. We show that robust and stationary optomechanical entanglement could be achieved in the system, even in the presence of nonnegligible optical absorption in the membrane. We also present some preliminary experimental data showing radiation‐pressure induced optical bistability.
Optomechanics is currently believed to provide a promising route towards the achievement of genuine quantum effects at the large, massive-system scale. By using a recently proposed figure of merit that is well suited to address continuous-variable systems, in this paper we question such expectation. We quantify the degree of macroscopicity of the state of a vibrating mechanical mode (embodied by an end-cavity cantilever or a membrane placed within an optical cavity) achieved through its radiation-pressure coupling to a quantized field of light. By showing that quite demanding conditions should be met in order to be able to claim for genuine macroscopic quantum superpositions, our investigation poses substantial doubts on the suitability of current experimental configurations in optomechanics.
The search for experimental demonstrations of the quantum behavior of macroscopic mechanical resonators is a fastly growing field of investigation and recent results suggest that the generation of quantum states of resonators with a mass at the microgram scale is within reach. In this chapter we give an overview of two important topics within this research field: cooling to the motional ground state, and the generation of entanglement involving mechanical, optical and atomic degrees of freedom. We focus on optomechanical systems where the resonator is coupled to one or more driven cavity modes by the radiation pressure interaction. We show that robust stationary entanglement between the mechanical resonator and the output fields of the cavity can be generated, and that this entanglement can be transferred to atomic ensembles placed within the cavity. These results show that optomechanical devices are interesting candidates for the realization of quantum memories and interfaces for continuous variable quantum communication networks.
Optomechanical generation of entangled optical beams is usually hindered by thermal noise. We present a theoretical study of low frequency entanglement generation between two optical harmonics emitted from a cavity optomechanical system operating in the resolved-sideband regime. The system comprises three nearly equidistant optical modes in a high-finesse cavity, with the central mode coherently driven. This configuration enables radiation-pressure interactions that generate strong quantum correlations between the two sideband modes. Remarkably, these correlations persist even at large numbers of thermal quanta if one properly engineers the optical cooling rate of the mechanical mode. Our findings demonstrate the feasibility of robust entanglement under ambient conditions, opening new avenues for hybrid quantum technologies based on mechanical interfaces and continuous-variable quantum information processing.
We investigate theoretically a hybrid system consisting of a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) trapped inside a laser-driven membrane-in-the-middle optomechanical cavity assisted with squeezed vacuum injection whose moving membrane interacts both linearly and quadratically with the radiation pressure of the cavity. It is shown that such a hybrid system is very suitable for generating strong quadrature squeezing in the mechanical mode of the membrane and the Bogoliubov mode of the BEC in the unresolved sideband regime. More interestingly, by choosing a suitable sign for the quadratic optomechanical coupling (QOC), one can achieve a very high degree of squeezing in the mechanical mode and a strong entanglement between the mechanical and atomic modes without the necessity of using squeezed light injection. Furthermore, the QOC changes the effective oscillation frequencies of both the mechanical and the atomic modes and affects their relaxation times. It can also make the system switch from optical bistability to tristability.
We propose an efficient method to generate entangled states of vibrational modes of membranes which are coupled to a single-mode cavity field via the radiation pressure. By using sideband excitations, we show that arbitrary entangled states of vibrational modes in different membranes can be produced in principle by sequentially applying a series of classical pulses with desired frequencies, phases, and durations. As examples, we show how to synthesize several typical entangled states, such as Bell states, NOON states, Greenberger-Horne-Zeilinger states, and W states. The environmental effect, information leakage, and experimental feasibility are briefly discussed. Our proposal can be applied to different setups of optomechanical systems, in which vibrating modes of many mechanical resonators are coupled to a single-mode cavity.
In this thesis, I report on the realization of a hybrid optomechanical system in which ultracold atoms are coupled to a micromechanical membrane. The atoms are trapped in the intensity maxima of an optical standing wave formed by retroreflection of a laser beam from the membrane surface. Vibrations of the membrane displace the standing wave, thus coupling to the center-of-mass motion of the atomic ensemble. Conversely, atoms imprint their motion onto the laser light, thereby modulating the radiation pressure force on the membrane. In this way, the laser light mediates a long-distance, coherent coupling between the two systems. \n \nWhen the trap frequency of the atoms is matched to the membrane frequency, we observe resonant energy transfer. In addition, by applying simultaneous laser cooling to the atoms, we can dissipate energy from the coupled system leading to sympathetic cooling of the membrane mode. The experimental data follows the theoretical estimations that predict the coupling to scale with the number of trapped atoms. Furthermore, by including the finite temperature of the atoms and their spatially inhomogeneous trapping potential in the theoretical model of the optomechanical coupling, we can accurately describe the width and shape of the resonance. \n \nIn an improved experimental setup, the membrane is enclosed in a cavity while the atoms are trapped in the standing wave lattice outside the cavity. The presence of the cavity results in a considerable enhancement of the coupling strength in proportion to the cavity finesse. So far we have observed sympathetic cooling of the membrane mode by a factor of 32 starting from room temperature. Theoretical estimates show that in such a setup ground-state cooling of the membrane mode should be possible, allowing one to access the quantum coherent coupling regime.