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Bulletin of the American Physical Society

Bidirectional microwave-mechanical-optical transducer in a dilution refrigerator

Peter S. Burns, Andrew P. Higginbotham, Robert W. Peterson, Maxwell D. Urmey, N. S. Kampel, Timothy Menke, Katarina Cicak, Raymond W. Simmonds, Cindy A. Regal, Konrad W. Lehnert

Published Mar 16, 2017• 1 citation
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This study presents the mechanical design and analysis of a quantum electro-optical transducer engineered to operate at millikelvin temperatures within a dilution refrigerator. The transducer enables bidirectional microwave-optical frequency conversion through a hybrid architecture that integrates a superconducting radiofrequency (SRF) cavity with an electro-optic optical cavity. Among several design options investigated, the configuration offering the best thermal and mechanical performance was selected, yielding a robust solution with reduced sensitivity to fabrication tolerances, improved heat dissipation, as well as alignment precision. The design ensures uniform temperature distribution, enabling higher laser pump powers and, thus, increased conversion efficiency, while maintaining mechanical stresses safely below the material yield strength. Electromagnetic simulations further validate the design, demonstrating enhanced coupling between the optical and microwave modes, as well as a broader tuning range achieved with smaller tuner displacements.
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