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arXiv:1406.1013 · Annalen der Physik

Towards optomechanical quantum state reconstruction of mechanical motion

Michael Ross Vanner, Igor Pikovski, M. S. Kim

Published Aug 29, 2014• 60 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Utilizing the tools of quantum optics to prepare and manipulate quantum states of motion of a mechanical resonator is currently one of the most promising routes to explore non‐classicality at a macroscopic scale. An important quantum optomechanical tool yet to be experimentally demonstrated is the ability to perform complete quantum state reconstruction. Here, after providing a brief introduction to quantum states in phase space, the current proposals for state reconstruction of mechanical motional states are reviewed and contrasted and experimental progress is discussed. Furthermore, it is shown that mechanical quadrature tomography using back‐action‐evading interactions gives an s‐parameterized Wigner function where the numerical parameter s is directly related to the optomechanical measurement strength. The effects of classical noise in the optical probe for both state reconstruction and state preparation by measurement are also discussed.

DOI
10.1002/andp.201400124

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Utilizing the tools of quantum optics to prepare and manipulate quantum states of motion of a mechanical resonator is currently one of the most promising routes to explore non‐classicality at a macroscopic scale. An important quantum optomechanical tool yet to be experimentally demonstrated is the ability to perform complete quantum state reconstruction. Here, after providing a brief introduction to quantum states in phase space, the current proposals for state reconstruction of mechanical motional states are reviewed and contrasted and experimental progress is discussed. Furthermore, it is shown that mechanical quadrature tomography using back‐action‐evading interactions gives an s‐parameterized Wigner function where the numerical parameter s is directly related to the optomechanical measurement strength. The effects of classical noise in the optical probe for both state reconstruction and state preparation by measurement are also discussed.
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Quantum optomechanics uses optical means to generate and manipulate quantum states of motion of mechanical resonators. This provides an intriguing platform for the study of fundamental physics and the development of novel quantum devices. Yet, the challenge of reconstructing and verifying the quantum state of mechanical systems has remained a major roadblock in the field. Here, we present a novel approach that allows for tomographic reconstruction of the quantum state of a mechanical system without the need for extremely high quality optical cavities. We show that, without relying on the usual state transfer presumption between light an mechanics, the full optomechanical Hamiltonian can be exploited to imprint mechanical tomograms on a strong optical coherent pulse, which can then be read out using well-established techniques. Furthermore, with only a small number of measurements, our method can be used to witness nonclassical features of mechanical systems without requiring full tomography. By relaxing the experimental requirements, our technique thus opens a feasible route towards verifying the quantum state of mechanical resonators and their nonclassical behaviour in a wide range of optomechanical systems.
This thesis concentrates on generating and measuring non-classical states of mechanical oscillators by coupling them to atomic and molecular quantum systems. We start with a discussion of what novel physics can be explored by mechanical systems operating in the quantum regime. We then discuss one technique making it a possibility- cavity optomechanics, particularly optomechanical cooling. We investigate the limits of optomechanical cooling and review how the coupling of mechanical oscillators to external heat baths limits the minimum attainable phonon occupation number. As a possible alternative for circumventing clamping losses, we consider an all-optical approach where the mechanical element (in this case, a Bragg mirror) is suspended via optical forces, and discuss some limitations of this approach. We explore several schemes aimed at the generation of quantum states in mechanical oscillators. We consider specifically two examples: one in which the mechanical oscillator is coupled to polar molecules via dipole-dipole interaction, and another where it is magnetically coupled to a Bose condensate. The first example emphasizes that such an interaction can generate parametric squeezing and entanglement. The second scheme demonstrates that the back action of BEC spin measurements can be used to generate quantum states of motion of a mechanical oscillator. We then discuss possible methods for measuring the entire density matrix of a mechanical oscillator. The first method achieves the tomographic reconstruction of the mechanical Wigner function by coupling it simultaneously to a classical optical oscillator and a qubit. The second approach involves a state transfer scheme between momentum excitations of a bose-condensate in a cavity and a moving mirror of the cavity that is entirely mediated by the light field. We conclude with a discussion of the broader implications of this work, and some future research directions.
We introduce a scheme to reconstruct an arbitrary quantum state of a mechanical oscillator network. We assume that a single element of the network is coupled to a cavity field via a linearized optomechanical interaction, the time dependence of which is controlled by a classical driving field. By designing a suitable interaction profile, we show how the statistics of an arbitrary mechanical quadrature can be encoded in the cavity field, which can then be measured. We discuss the important special case of Gaussian state reconstruction and study numerically the effectiveness of our scheme for a finite number of measurements. Finally, we speculate on possible routes to extend our ideas to the regime of single-photon optomechanics.
Why are classical theories often sufficient to describe the physics of our world even though everything around us is entirely composed of microscopic quantum systems? The boundary between these two fundamentally dissimilar theories remains an unsolved problem in modern physics. Position measurements of small objects allow us to probe the area where the classical approximation breaks down. In quantum mechanics, Heisenbergâ s uncertainty principle dictates that any measurement of the position must be accompanied by measurement induced back-action---in this case manifested as an uncertainty in the momentum. In recent years, cavity optomechanics has become a powerful tool to perform precise position measurements and investigate their fundamental limitations. The utilization of optical micro-cavities greatly enhances the interaction between light and state-of-the-art nanomechanical oscillators. Therefore, quantum mechanical phenomena have been successfully observed in systems far beyond the microscopic world. In such a cavity optomechanical system, the fluctuations in the position of the oscillator are transduced onto the phase of the light, while fluctuations in the amplitude of the light disturb the momentum of the oscillator during the measurement. As a consequence, correlations are established between the amplitude and phase quadrature of the probe light. However, so far, observation of quantum effects has been limited exclusively to cryogenic experiments, and access to the quantum regime at room temperature has remained an elusive goal because the overwhelming amount of thermal motion masks the weak quantum effects. This thesis describes the engineering of a high-performance cavity optomechanical device and presents experimental results showing, for the first time, the broadband effects of quantum back-action at room temperature. The device strongly couples mechanical and optical modes of exceptionally high quality factors to provide a measurement sensitivity ∼ ⁣104\sim\!10^4∼104 times below the requirement to resolve the zero-point fluctuations of the mechanical oscillator. The quantum back-action is then observed through the correlations created between the probe light and the motion of the nanomechanical oscillator. A so-called â variational measurementâ , which detects the transmitted light in a homodyne detector tuned close to the amplitude quadrature, resolves the quantum noise due to these correlations at the level of 10\% of the thermal noise over more than an octave of Fourier frequencies around mechanical resonance. Moreover, building on this result, an additional experiment demonstrates the ability to achieve quantum enhanced metrology. In this case, the generated quantum correlations are used to cancel quantum noise in the measurement record, which then leads to an improved relative signal-to-noise ratio in measurements of an external force. In conclusion, the successful observation of broadband quantum behavior on a macroscopic object at room temperature is an important milestone in the field of cavity optomechanics. Specifically, this result heralds the rise of optomechanical systems as a platform for quantum physics at room temperature and shows promise for generation of ponderomotive squeezing in room-temperature interferometers.
Building on Chapters 3 and 4, this chapter introduces the concepts of measurement-based quantum control of mechanical systems in the linearised approximation for the optomechanical interaction, including techniques such as feedback cooling and back-action evading measurements using both stroboscopic optical driving and parametric mechanical driving. To model these techniques we introduce the stochastic master equation approach. We then discuss the application of squeezed light fields and ponderomotive optical squeezing to overcome the standard quantum limit introduced in Chapter 3. These methods are important both to improve the precision of quantum sensors and for quantum state tomography of mechanical systems.