Abstract The optomechanical system has developed a significant breakthrough in quantum science, especially since it can further improve the precision and sensitivity of the measurement in the quantum region. Here, we study a feasible optomechanical proposal in a hybrid quantum system, which can ensure a quantum sensor with further enhanced sensitivity. With the joint assistance of microwave modifying and optical parametric amplification, the effective line width of this supermode is further reduced around the critical point, and it can therefore result in a resolvable spectrum to display a much weaker mechanical frequency shift, which is perhaps induced by a tiny mass or charged particles in this system. We also hope there might be some useful applications for this attempt in the area of quantum measurement.
Abstract The optomechanical system has developed a significant breakthrough in quantum science, especially since it can further improve the precision and sensitivity of the measurement in the quantum region. Here, we study a feasible optomechanical proposal in a hybrid quantum system, which can ensure a quantum sensor with further enhanced sensitivity. With the joint assistance of microwave modifying and optical parametric amplification, the effective line width of this supermode is further reduced around the critical point, and it can therefore result in a resolvable spectrum to display a much weaker mechanical frequency shift, which is perhaps induced by a tiny mass or charged particles in this system. We also hope there might be some useful applications for this attempt in the area of quantum measurement.
Cavity optomechanics originated from the research of interferometric detection of gravitational waves, and later became a fast-growing area of techniques and approaches ranging from the fields of atomic, molecular, and optical physics to nano-science and condensed matter physics as well. Recently, it focused on the exploration of operating mechanical oscillators deep in the quantum regime, with an interest ranging from quantum-classical interface tests to high-precision quantum metrology. In this paper, recent theoretical work of our group in the field of quantum measurement with cavity optomechanical systems is reviewed. We explore the quantum measurement theory and its applications with several unconventional cavity optomechanical schemes working in the quantum regime. This review covers the basics of quantum noises in the cavity optomechanical setups and the resulting standard quantum limit of precision displacement and force measurement. Three novel quantum measurement proposals based on the hybrid optomechanical system are introduced. First, we describe a quantum back-action insulated weak force sensor. It is realized by forming a quantum-mechanics-free subsystem with two optomechanical oscillators of reversed effective mass. Then we introduce a role-reversed atomic optomechanical system which enables the preparation and the quantum tomography of a variety of non-classical states of atoms. In this system, the cavity field acts as a mechanical oscillator driven by the radiation pressure force from an ultracold atomic field. In the end, we recommend a multimode optomechanical transducer that can detect intensities significantly below the single-photon level via adiabatic transfer of the microwave signal to the optical frequency domain. These proposals demonstrate the possible applications of optomechanical devices in understanding of quantum-classical crossover and in achieving quantum measurement limit.
The precision of quantum sensing could be improved by exploiting quantum phase transitions, where the physical quantity tends to diverge when the system approaches the quantum critical point. This critical enhancement phenomenon has been applied to the quantum Rabi model, showing a promising sensing enhancement without the need for complex initial state preparation. In this work, we present a quantum phase transition in the coupling cavity-mechanical oscillator system when the coupling strength crosses a critical point, determined by the effective detuning of the cavity and frequency of the mechanical mode. By utilizing this critical phenomenon, we obtain a prominent enhancement of quantum sensing, such as the position and momentum of the mechanical oscillator. This result provides an alternative method to enhance the quantum sensing of some physical quantities, such as mass, charge, and weak force, in a large mass system.
Quantum sensing, leveraging the principles of quantum mechanics, has revolutionized the field of precision measurement by achieving sensitivities beyond the classical limits. Among the various platforms for quantum sensing, cavity optomechanics has emerged as a particularly promising field. It studies the interaction between light and mechanical resonators within high-Q optical cavities, providing unique opportunities for enhancing measurement precision and sensitivity in quantum sensing. With advancements in technology, the range of applications for cavity optomechanics in quantum sensing is expanding rapidly. Particularly, the integration of optoelectronic technologies and miniaturization techniques holds promise for the development of more compact, efficient, and scalable quantum sensors. Quantum sensing with cavity optomechanics has been extensively studied and has progressed enormously over the past decades. This paper provides a systematic review of research on quantum sensing with cavity optomechanics, starting from the fundamental principles of optomechanical coupling, to the achievement of quantum ground-state cooling of mechanical oscillators and the preparation of basic quantum states, and then to the mechanisms of quantum sensing based on cavity optomechanics. Furthermore, we survey recent advancements in quantum sensing utilizing cavity optomechanics, including the enhancement of optomechanical sensing through the use of entanglement, squeezing, and quantum exceptional points. Finally, perspectives and opportunities for future developments of this field are provided.
Quantum sensing using atom interferometry possesses immense potential for application in gravimetry, inertial navigation and for gravitational wave detection, apart from carrying out tests of fundamental physics. Atom interferometry can be used to perform absolute inertial measurements with unprecedented long term stability, unlike classical sensors which are prone to drift and incur calibration errors. However, atom interferometers seldom achieve their fundamental sensitivity due to the coupling of ambient vibrations. It is the dominant noise source that not only impairs performance but also affects its operability. Ideal compensation of the effects due to vibration noise using a versatile accelerometer, while concurrently enabling miniaturized atom interferometer setups has not been pioneered. Such a compact hybrid quantum sensor will enable reliable operation with an enhanced performance in field applications, paving the way for robust atom interferometry beyond laboratory conditions. A novel optomechanical resonator has been designed, developed and successfully hybridized with an atom interferometer to suppress the effects of vibration noise, and the results are presented in this thesis. The optomechanical resonator’s inertial test mass is simultaneously used to create a continuous intracavity optical lattice to sense its displacement, and a pulsed optical lattice to manipulate the atoms. For the first time, a broadband accelerometer is seamlessly hybridized with an atom interferometer via mechanical resonator mediated coupling of the optical lattices to measure acceleration. This enables elimination of vibration induced measurement ambiguity in our atom interferometer with a well defined mechanical transfer function. Vibration noise correlation is demonstrated up to our prototype atom interferometer’s most sensitive operating mode of T = 6 ms using double Bragg diffraction, ultimately limited by its technical noise. The optomechanical resonator measures acceleration with a sensitivity down to 1.1×10−6 ms−2/ √Hz corresponding to a displacement sensitivity of 8.6 × 10−15 m/ √Hz. Substantial 1/f noise suppression due to the developed optical readout scheme enables a measurement bandwidth spanning from sub-hertz frequencies up to several kilohertz. Multiple versions of the optomechanical resonator with different characteristics were developed and hybridized with our atom interferometer. This paves the way for developing tailored optomechanical resonators for specific inertial sensing applications.
In this paper, the scheme of a force sensor is proposed which has been composed of a hybrid optomechanical cavity containing an interacting cigar-shaped Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) where the s-wave scattering frequency of the BEC atoms as well as the spring coefficient of the cavity moving end-mirror (the mechanical oscillator) are parametrically modulated. It is shown that, in the red-detuned regime and under the so-called impedance-matching condition, the mechanical response of the system to the input signal is enhanced substantially which leads to the amplification of the weak input signal while the added noise of measurement (backaction noise) can be suppressed and lowered much below the standard quantum limit. Furthermore, because of its large mechanical gain, such a modulated hybrid system is a much better amplifier in comparison to the (modulated) bare optomechanical system which can generate a stronger output signal while keeping the sensitivity nearly the same as that of the (modulated) bare one. The other advantages of the presented nonlinear hybrid system accompanied with the mechanical and atomic modulations in comparison to the bare optomechanical cavities are its controllability as well as the extension of the amplification bandwidth.
The study of force sensitivity based on a cavity optomechanical system plays a prominent role in quantum precision measurement and provides an ideal platform for precision sensing technology. Here, we propose a scheme to enhance the force sensitivity of a dissipatively coupled optomechanical system by inducing Duffing nonlinearity. The numerical analysis shows that inducing Duffing nonlinearity significantly improves the force sensitivity compared to the system without Duffing nonlinearity, even surpassing the standard quantum limit (SQL) by more than five orders of magnitude. Moreover, we demonstrated that the sensitivity of force sensing is robust to temperature when Duffing nonlinearity is induced. More interestingly, the induction of Duffing nonlinearity broadens the detection bandwidth. At the same time, the detection frequency below the SQL also experiences a significant frequency shift with changes in the nonlinear amplitude. Our scheme not only holds potential for applications in quantum manipulation but also realizes macroscopic quantum effects.