arXiv · 1308.4213
Nonclassical mechanical states in an optomechanical micromaser analogue
Abstract
Here we show that quantum states of a mechanical oscillator can be generated in an optomechanical analogue of the micromaser, in absence of any atom-like subsystem, thus exhibiting single-atom masing effects in a system composed solely of oscillator components. In the regime where the single-photon coupling strength is on the order of the cavity decay rate, a cavity mode with at most a single-excitation present gives rise to sub-Poissonian oscillator limit-cycles that generate quantum features in the steady state just above the renormalized cavity resonance frequency and mechanical sidebands. The merger of multiple stable limit-cycles markedly reduces these nonclassical signatures. Varying the cavity-resonator coupling strength, corresponding to the micromaser pump parameter, reveals transitions for the oscillator phonon number that are the hallmark of a micromaser. The connection to the micromaser allows for a physical understanding of how nonclassical states arise in this system, and how best to maximize these signatures for experimental observation.
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P. D. Nation. 2013-11-07. Nonclassical mechanical states in an optomechanical micromaser analogue. https://doi.org/10.1103/physreva.88.053828
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