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Optical backaction-evading measurement of a mechanical oscillator

Author

Listed:
  • Itay Shomroni

    (Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • Liu Qiu

    (Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • Daniel Malz

    (Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik)

  • Andreas Nunnenkamp

    (University of Cambridge)

  • Tobias J. Kippenberg

    (Institute of Physics, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

Abstract

Quantum mechanics imposes a limit on the precision of a continuous position measurement of a harmonic oscillator, due to backaction arising from quantum fluctuations in the measurement field. This standard quantum limit can be surpassed by monitoring only one of the two non-commuting quadratures of the motion, known as backaction-evading measurement. This technique has not been implemented using optical interferometers to date. Here we demonstrate, in a cavity optomechanical system operating in the optical domain, a continuous two-tone backaction-evading measurement of a localized gigahertz-frequency mechanical mode of a photonic-crystal nanobeam cryogenically and optomechanically cooled close to the ground state. Employing quantum-limited optical heterodyne detection, we explicitly show the transition from conventional to backaction-evading measurement. We observe up to 0.67 dB (14%) reduction of total measurement noise, thereby demonstrating the viability of backaction-evading measurements in nanomechanical resonators for optical ultrasensitive measurements of motion and force.

Suggested Citation

  • Itay Shomroni & Liu Qiu & Daniel Malz & Andreas Nunnenkamp & Tobias J. Kippenberg, 2019. "Optical backaction-evading measurement of a mechanical oscillator," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-10024-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-10024-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Roel Burgwal & Ewold Verhagen, 2023. "Enhanced nonlinear optomechanics in a coupled-mode photonic crystal device," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-12, December.

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