arXiv subjects

Atkin D. Hyatt

Publications and source records attributed to Atkin D. Hyatt.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Sail membranes for optomechanical accelerometry

Strained membrane resonators have emerged as a promising platform for optomechanical accelerometry; however, the desired combination of low frequency and high $Q$-mass product requires a rethinking of their dissipation dilution engineering. Applying Bayesian optimization to a Si$_3$N$_4$ membrane, we discover a class of sail-like trampoline resonators in which the frequency is decreased by an order of magnitude while preserving the $Q$-mass product. We demonstrate centimeter-scale sails with kHz frequencies, $Q\sim10^7$ and $Q\times\text{mass}\sim$ 10 g. Vertically integrating a 7 kHz device with a nanoribbon, we realize a monolithic cavity optomechanical accelerometer with a room temperature thermal noise of $40\;\text{n}g_0/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$, sufficient to resolve $μg_0/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ ambient vibration over a bandwidth of 4 kHz with a displacement imprecision of $10^{-14}\;\text{m}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$. Cryogenic arrays of sail membranes may be attractive for new physics searches and distributed quantum sensing experiments.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Fabrication and characterization of high-Q silicon nitride membrane resonators

Silicon nitride membranes are a powerful and ubiquitous optomechanical resonator technology, enabling high mechanical Q, low optical loss, and enhanced optomechanical coupling via a panoply of strain-, phononic-, and photonic-crystal engineering techniques. Fabrication and characterization of silicon nitride membranes has become a form of tacit knowledge in optomechanics research groups. Here we present a video run-through of the design, fabrication, and characterization of a contemporary silicon nitride membrane resonator (specifically, a centimeter-scale Si3N4 nanoribbon supporting $Q>10^8$ torsion modes). Our tutorial can serve as a starting point or refresher for practitioners in the field.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Ultrahigh-Q Torsional Nanomechanics through Bayesian Optimization

Recently it was discovered that torsion modes of strained nanoribbons exhibit dissipation dilution, giving a route to enhanced torque sensing and quantum optomechanics experiments. As with all strained nanomechanical resonators, an important limitation is bending loss due to mode curvature at the clamps. Here we use Bayesian optimization to design nanoribbons with optimal dissipation dilution of the fundamental torsion mode. Applied to centimeter-scale Si$_3$N$_4$ nanoribbons, we realize $Q$ factors exceeding 100 million and $Q$-frequency products exceeding $10^{13}$ Hz at room temperature. The thermal torque sensitivity of the reported devices is at the level of $10^{-20}\;\text{N}\,\text{m}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$ and the zero point angular displacement spectral density is at the level of $10^{-10}\;\text{rad}/\sqrt{\text{Hz}}$; they are moreover simple to fabricate, have high thermal conductivity, and can be heavily mass-loaded without diminishing their $Q$, making them attractive for diverse fundamental and applied weak force sensing tasks.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗