Dissipation in a quantum-mechanical system

Hing Hun Chan

Joachim Ankerhold

Kalyan B. Sinha

Quansen Wang, Yuefan Wu, Doudou Wang +4 more

We demonstrate an optomechanical system with tunable dissipative and dispersive couplings using a Fabry-Perot cavity and a string mechanical resonator. By varying the diameter and material of the mechanical resonator, and the relative location between the mechanical resonator and the cavity, the relative strengths of dissipative and dispersive coupling could be tuned continuously from dissipation-dominated regime to dispersion-dominated regime. In our experiments, the dissipative-to-dispersive coupling ratios of 1.3 and 0.6 are achieved by using two different mechanical resonators, corresponding to a transition from dissipation-dominated to dispersion-dominated optomechanical system. Theoretically, the coupling ratio could be tuned from 25 to 0.02 by optimizing the mechanical resonator, spanning over three orders of magnitude. These two distinct coupling regimes are achieved with the same experimental platform. The capability to freely adjust the coupling ratio provides a versatile platform for exploring quantum effects of massive mechanical resonators and quantum-limited measurements.