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

Optics Express

Ground state cooling of an optomechanical resonator assisted by a Λ-type atom

Shuo Zhang, Jian‐Qi Zhang, Jie Zhang, Chun-Wang Wu, Wei Wu, Ping‐Xing Chen

Published Nov 5, 2014• 34 citations
Publisher

Abstract

We propose a ground state cooling scheme for an optomechanical resonator based on the system of one Λ-type three-level atom trapped in an optomechanical cavity. This cooling scheme works in a single-photon coupling, and strong atom-cavity coupling regimes. By investigating the cooling dynamics, we find that there is an EIT-like quantum coherent effect in this system which can suppress the undesired transitions for heating. Moreover, our study shows that the final average phonon number of the optomechanical resonator can be smaller than the one based on the sideband cooling. Furthermore, the ground state cooling of the resonator can still be achieved after thermal fluctuations included. In addition, in comparison with previous cooling methods, there are fewer limitations on the decay rates of both the cavity and the atom in this scheme. As a result, this scheme is very suitable to realize the ground cooling of an optomechanical resonator in the experiment.

DOI
10.1364/oe.22.028118

Related papers

Ground state cooling of an optomechanical resonator with double quantum interference processes*

Shuo Zhang, Tan Li, Qian-Hen Duan +2 more

We present a cooling scheme with a tripod configuration atomic ensemble trapped in an optomechanical cavity. With the employment of two different quantum interference processes, our scheme illustrates that it is possible to cool a resonator to its ground state in the strong cavity–atom coupling regime. Moreover, with the assistance of one additional energy level, our scheme takes a larger cooling rate to realize the ground state cooling. In addition, this scheme is a feasible candidate for experimental applications.

Chinese Physics B•Oct 20, 2020•3 citations

Cooling of micromechanical oscillator in a hybrid optomechanical system with three-level quantum dots

Xuebing Gong, Shuchen Lü

Abstract We propose a ground state cooling scheme for an optomechanical resonator based on the system of a V-type three-level QD ensemble trapped in a two-mode cavity. The two-mode cavity was pumped by two different deriving fields. We studied the optomechanical cooling under the highly unresolved-sideband and beyond Lamb-Dicke regime (coupling strength between the cavity field and the phonon field not far less than the vibrational frequency). Our results show that the noise spectrum appeared a single peak when the detuning of the QD’s high excitation state and high-frequency driving field equals that of the QD’s low excitation state and low-frequency driving field, otherwise, then appeared double peaks. In the case of double peaks, we can realize the transition between optomechanical cooling and heating by changing the coupling strength of QD with cavity field, which is not available in the case of a single peak. We also studied the evolution of the mean phonon number with time, which is helpful to analyze ground state optomechanical cooling.

Journal of Physics B Atomic Molecular and Optical Physics•Aug 26, 2020•1 citation

Cavity-mediated cooling of a trapped Λ -type three-level atom using a standing-wave laser field

Zhen Yi, Gao‐xiang Li, Yaping Yang

We propose a ground-state cavity-mediated cooling scheme for a trapped atom, which is in the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration and confined inside a high-finesse optical cavity, using a standing-wave cooling laser. The carrier transition can be prohibited by placing the atom at the node of the cavity field, and the blue-sideband transition can be simultaneously eliminated by exploiting quantum interference via tuning the frequency of the cooling laser. As a consequence, the ground-state cooling for the trapped atom can be achieved. Moreover, we numerically demonstrate the superiority by placing the atom at the antinode of the standing-wave cooling laser as compared with the running-wave cooling laser, and the robustness of the scheme using the standing-wave laser. Meanwhile, the cooling rate can reach the same order of magnitude as that obtained in the cavity--electromagnetically-induced-transparency cooling scheme, and the explicit expression for the final phonon number in higher order is also presented.

Physical Review A•May 20, 2013•10 citations

Ground-state cooling of an oscillator in a hybrid atom-optomechanical system

Zhen Yi, Gao‐xiang Li, Shao‐ping Wu +1 more

We investigate a hybrid quantum system combining cavity quantum electrodynamics and optomechanics, where a photon mode is coupled to a four-level tripod atom and to a mechanical mode via radiation pressure. We find that within the single-photon optomechanics and Lamb-Dicke limit, the presence of the tripod atom alters the optical properties of the cavity radiation field drastically, and gives rise to completely quantum destructive interference effects in the optical scattering. The heating rate can be dramatically suppressed via utilizing the completely destructive interference involving atom, photon and phonon, and the obtained result is analogous to that of the resolved sideband regime. The heating process is only connected to the scattering of cavity damping path, which is also far-off resonance. Meanwhile, the cooling rate assisted by the atomic transitions can be significantly enhanced, where the cooling process occurs through the cavity and atomic dissipation paths. Finally, the ground-state cooling of the movable mirror is achievable and even more robust to heating process and thermal noise.

Optics Express•Aug 12, 2014•25 citations

Suppression of Stokes heating processes and improved optomechanical cooling with frequency modulation

Yang Bao, Qinghong Liao, Qingmin Zhao +1 more

Abstract Ground-state cooling of mesoscopic mechanical objects is still a major challenge in the unresolved-sideband regime. We present a frequency modulation (FM) scheme to achieve cooling of the mechanical resonator to its ground-state in a double-cavity optomechanical system containing a mechanical resonator. The mean phonon number is determined by numerically solving a set of differential equations derived from the quantum master equations. Due to efficient suppression of Stokes heating processes in the presence of FM, the ground-state cooling, indicated by numerical calculations, is significantly achievable, regardless of whether in the resolved-sideband regime or the unresolved-sideband regime. Furthermore, by choosing parameters reasonably, the improvement of the quantum cooling limit is found to be capable of being positively correlated with the modulation frequency. This method provides new insight into quantum manipulation and creates more possibilities for applications of quantum devices.

Communications in Theoretical Physics•Feb 16, 2022•2 citations

Ground-state cooling of a mechanical oscillator by a noisy environment

Cheng Wang, Louise Banniard, Kjetil Børkje +3 more

Dissipation and the accompanying fluctuations are often seen as detrimental for quantum systems since they are associated with fast relaxation and loss of phase coherence. However, it has been proposed that a pure state can be prepared if external noise induces suitable downwards transitions, while exciting transitions are blocked. We demonstrate such a refrigeration mechanism in a cavity optomechanical system, where we prepare a mechanical oscillator in its ground state by injecting strong electromagnetic noise at frequencies around the red mechanical sideband of the cavity. The optimum cooling is reached with a noise bandwidth smaller than but on the order of the cavity decay rate. At higher bandwidths, cooling is less efficient as suitable transitions are not effectively activated. In the opposite regime where the noise bandwidth becomes comparable to the mechanical damping rate, damping follows the noise amplitude adiabatically, and the cooling is also suppressed. Sideband cooling is a well-known technique exploiting coherent pumping for cooling a quantum system, and recent theoretical work suggested that even broadband noise might be used to the same effect. Here, the authors demonstrate this by cooling a mechanical oscillator in its ground state using synthetic noise.

Nature Communications•Aug 27, 2024•10 citations
We propose a ground state cooling scheme for an optomechanical resonator based on the system of one Λ-type three-level atom trapped in an optomechanical cavity. This cooling scheme works in a single-photon coupling, and strong atom-cavity coupling regimes. By investigating the cooling dynamics, we find that there is an EIT-like quantum coherent effect in this system which can suppress the undesired transitions for heating. Moreover, our study shows that the final average phonon number of the optomechanical resonator can be smaller than the one based on the sideband cooling. Furthermore, the ground state cooling of the resonator can still be achieved after thermal fluctuations included. In addition, in comparison with previous cooling methods, there are fewer limitations on the decay rates of both the cavity and the atom in this scheme. As a result, this scheme is very suitable to realize the ground cooling of an optomechanical resonator in the experiment.
We present a cooling scheme with a tripod configuration atomic ensemble trapped in an optomechanical cavity. With the employment of two different quantum interference processes, our scheme illustrates that it is possible to cool a resonator to its ground state in the strong cavity–atom coupling regime. Moreover, with the assistance of one additional energy level, our scheme takes a larger cooling rate to realize the ground state cooling. In addition, this scheme is a feasible candidate for experimental applications.
Abstract We propose a ground state cooling scheme for an optomechanical resonator based on the system of a V-type three-level QD ensemble trapped in a two-mode cavity. The two-mode cavity was pumped by two different deriving fields. We studied the optomechanical cooling under the highly unresolved-sideband and beyond Lamb-Dicke regime (coupling strength between the cavity field and the phonon field not far less than the vibrational frequency). Our results show that the noise spectrum appeared a single peak when the detuning of the QD’s high excitation state and high-frequency driving field equals that of the QD’s low excitation state and low-frequency driving field, otherwise, then appeared double peaks. In the case of double peaks, we can realize the transition between optomechanical cooling and heating by changing the coupling strength of QD with cavity field, which is not available in the case of a single peak. We also studied the evolution of the mean phonon number with time, which is helpful to analyze ground state optomechanical cooling.
We propose a ground-state cavity-mediated cooling scheme for a trapped atom, which is in the $\ensuremath{\Lambda}$ configuration and confined inside a high-finesse optical cavity, using a standing-wave cooling laser. The carrier transition can be prohibited by placing the atom at the node of the cavity field, and the blue-sideband transition can be simultaneously eliminated by exploiting quantum interference via tuning the frequency of the cooling laser. As a consequence, the ground-state cooling for the trapped atom can be achieved. Moreover, we numerically demonstrate the superiority by placing the atom at the antinode of the standing-wave cooling laser as compared with the running-wave cooling laser, and the robustness of the scheme using the standing-wave laser. Meanwhile, the cooling rate can reach the same order of magnitude as that obtained in the cavity--electromagnetically-induced-transparency cooling scheme, and the explicit expression for the final phonon number in higher order is also presented.
We investigate a hybrid quantum system combining cavity quantum electrodynamics and optomechanics, where a photon mode is coupled to a four-level tripod atom and to a mechanical mode via radiation pressure. We find that within the single-photon optomechanics and Lamb-Dicke limit, the presence of the tripod atom alters the optical properties of the cavity radiation field drastically, and gives rise to completely quantum destructive interference effects in the optical scattering. The heating rate can be dramatically suppressed via utilizing the completely destructive interference involving atom, photon and phonon, and the obtained result is analogous to that of the resolved sideband regime. The heating process is only connected to the scattering of cavity damping path, which is also far-off resonance. Meanwhile, the cooling rate assisted by the atomic transitions can be significantly enhanced, where the cooling process occurs through the cavity and atomic dissipation paths. Finally, the ground-state cooling of the movable mirror is achievable and even more robust to heating process and thermal noise.
Abstract Ground-state cooling of mesoscopic mechanical objects is still a major challenge in the unresolved-sideband regime. We present a frequency modulation (FM) scheme to achieve cooling of the mechanical resonator to its ground-state in a double-cavity optomechanical system containing a mechanical resonator. The mean phonon number is determined by numerically solving a set of differential equations derived from the quantum master equations. Due to efficient suppression of Stokes heating processes in the presence of FM, the ground-state cooling, indicated by numerical calculations, is significantly achievable, regardless of whether in the resolved-sideband regime or the unresolved-sideband regime. Furthermore, by choosing parameters reasonably, the improvement of the quantum cooling limit is found to be capable of being positively correlated with the modulation frequency. This method provides new insight into quantum manipulation and creates more possibilities for applications of quantum devices.
Dissipation and the accompanying fluctuations are often seen as detrimental for quantum systems since they are associated with fast relaxation and loss of phase coherence. However, it has been proposed that a pure state can be prepared if external noise induces suitable downwards transitions, while exciting transitions are blocked. We demonstrate such a refrigeration mechanism in a cavity optomechanical system, where we prepare a mechanical oscillator in its ground state by injecting strong electromagnetic noise at frequencies around the red mechanical sideband of the cavity. The optimum cooling is reached with a noise bandwidth smaller than but on the order of the cavity decay rate. At higher bandwidths, cooling is less efficient as suitable transitions are not effectively activated. In the opposite regime where the noise bandwidth becomes comparable to the mechanical damping rate, damping follows the noise amplitude adiabatically, and the cooling is also suppressed. Sideband cooling is a well-known technique exploiting coherent pumping for cooling a quantum system, and recent theoretical work suggested that even broadband noise might be used to the same effect. Here, the authors demonstrate this by cooling a mechanical oscillator in its ground state using synthetic noise.