Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics Europe & European Quantum Electronics Conference (CLEO/Europe-EQEC)
Demonstration of Piezo-Orbital Backaction Force in a Bulk Rare-Earth Ion-Doped Crystal
Anne Louchet-Chauvet, P. Verlot, J.-Ph. Poizat, T. Chanelière
Abstract
We consider a hybrid optomechanical system composed of an ensemble of identical rare earth ions embedded in a bulk crystal, and coupled to internal strain. We evidence the generation of a mechanical response within this hybrid system under resonant atomic excitation, which we find to be driven by two fundamental contributions: First, a conservative backaction force coined as piezo-orbital, coming along with the promotion of the atoms in their excited state. This effect is expected in all impurity-doped crystals and reflects the interaction between the ions' orbital shape and the crystal field of their host matrix. The second contribution corresponds to a dissipa-tive, photothermal backaction force associated with the non-radiative relaxation dynamics of the rare-earth ions. The two components are identified by means of a spatio-temporal mapping of the mechanically non-resonant op-tomechanical response in the bulk crystal. The optically resonant nature of the two effects and their fundamental connection to the internal atomic state dynamics are quantitatively confirmed.