Enhanced optomechanical interaction in the unbalanced interferometer
Quantum optomechanical systems enable the study of fundamental questions on quantum nature of massive objects. For that a strong coupling between light and mechanical motion is required, which presents a challenge for massive objects. In particular large interferometric sensors with low frequency oscillators are difficult to bring into quantum regime. Here we propose a modification of the Michelson-Sagnac interferometer, which allows to boost the optomechanical coupling strength. This is done by unbalancing the central beam-splitter of the interferometer, allowing to balance two types of optomechanical coupling present in the system: dissipative and dispersive. We analyse two different configurations, when the optomechanical cavity is formed by the mirror for the laser pump field (power-recycling), and by the mirror for the signal field (signal-recycling). We show that the imbalance of the beam splitter allows to dramatically increase the optical cooling of the test mass motion. We also formulate the conditions for observing quantum radiation-pressure noise and ponderomotive squeezing. Our configuration can serve as the basis for more complex modifications of the interferometer that would utilize the enhanced coupling strength. This will allow to efficiently reach quantum state of large test masses, opening the way to studying fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics and experimental search for quantum gravity.