arXiv subjects

Pierre Verlot

Publications and source records attributed to Pierre Verlot.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2025

Wavefront shaping enhanced nano-optomechanics down to the quantum precision limit

We introduce wavefront shaping as a tool for optimizing the sensitivity in nano-optomechanical measurement schemes. We perform multimode output analysis of an optomechanical system consisting of a focused laser beam coupled to the transverse motion of a tapered cantilever, and demonstrate that wavefront shaping enables a 350-fold enhancement of the measurement signal-to-noise (+25.5 dB) compared to standard split-detection, close to the quantum precision limit. Our results open new perspectives in terms of sensitivity and control of the optomechanical interaction.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2024

Hyperspectral electromechanical imaging at the nanoscale: Dynamical backaction, dissipation and quantum fluctuations

We report a new scanning nanomechanical noise microscopy platform enabling to both heat and acquire the fluctuations of mechanical nanostructures with nanometric resolution. We use this platform to image the thermally activated nanomechanical dynamics of a model system consisting of a $40\,\mathrm{nm}$ diameter single-defect nanowire, while scanning a localized heat source across its surface. We develop a thermal backaction model, which we use to demonstrate a close connection between the structure of the nanowire, its thermal response, its dissipation and its fluctuations. We notably show that the defect behaves as a single fluctuation hub, whose e-beam excitation yields a far off-equilibrium vibrational state, largely dominated by the quantum fluctuations of the heating source. Our platform is of interest for future quantitative investigation of fundamental nanoscale dynamical phenomena, and appears as a new playground for investigating quantum thermodynamics in the strongly dissipative regime and at room temperature.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Temperature mediated back-action in micro- and nanomechanical resonators

We theoretically investigate the thermally induced back-action effects in absorption-sensitive micro- and nanomechanical resonators. We propose a unified approach, enabling to simultaneously address both the effective dynamics and non-equilibrium phononic state, depending on the position of a punctual sensing (and heating) probe at the surface of the mechanical device. We present an analytical solution in terms of green functions for a unidimensional resonator whose thermomechanical deformation profile generally follows that of the mechanical losses. In particular, we find that both the dynamics and the mechanical fluctuations strongly depend on the loss distribution. The effect of the quantum fluctuations of the heat source is also discussed. Our approach provides the first steps towards a thorough, general platform for analyzing thermal back-action effects and their consequences, which may be of significance for future development in ultrasensitive nanomechanical research.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Piezo-orbital backaction force in a rare-earth doped crystal

We investigate a system composed of an ensemble of room temperature rare-earth ions embedded in a bulk crystal, intrinsically coupled to internal strain via their sensitivity to the surrounding crystal field. We evidence the generation of a mechanical response under resonant atomic excitation. We find this motion to be the sum of two fundamental, resonant optomechanical backaction processes: a conservative, piezo-orbital mechanism, resulting from the modification of the crystal field associated with the promotion of the ions to their excited state, and a dissipative, non-radiative photothermal process related to the phonons generated throughout the atomic population relaxation. Our work opens new research avenues in hybrid optomechanics, and highlights new interactions that may be key for understanding the dephasing dynamics of ultra-coherent rare-earth ions.

physics.atom-ph↗

arXiv2021

Inducing micromechanical motion by optical excitation of a single quantum dot

Hybrid quantum optomechanical systems offer an interface between a single two-level system and a macroscopical mechanical degree of freedom. In this work, we build a hybrid system made of a vibrating microwire coupled to a single semiconductor quantum dot (QD) via material strain. It was shown a few years ago, that the QD excitonic transition energy can thus be modulated by the microwire motion. We demonstrate here the reverse effect, whereby the wire is set in motion by the resonant drive of a single QD exciton with a laser modulated at the mechanical frequency. The resulting driving force is found to be almost 3 orders of magnitude larger than radiation pressure. From a fundamental aspect, this state dependent force offers a convenient strategy to map the QD quantum state onto a mechanical degree of freedom.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2020

Dynamically-enhanced strain in atomically thin resonators

Graphene and related two-dimensional (2D) materials associate remarkable mechanical, electronic, optical and phononic properties. As such, 2D materials are promising for hybrid systems that couple their elementary excitations (excitons, phonons) to their macroscopic mechanical modes. These built-in systems may yield enhanced strain-mediated coupling compared to bulkier architectures, e.g., comprising a single quantum emitter coupled to a nano-mechanical resonator. Here, using micro-Raman spectroscopy on pristine monolayer graphene drums, we demonstrate that the macroscopic flexural vibrations of graphene induce dynamical optical phonon softening. This softening is an unambiguous fingerprint of dynamically-induced tensile strain that reaches values up to $\mathbf{\approx 4 \times 10^{-4}}$ under strong non-linear driving. Such non-linearly enhanced strain exceeds the values predicted for harmonic vibrations with the same root mean square (RMS) amplitude by more than one order of magnitude. Our work holds promise for dynamical strain engineering and dynamical strain-mediated control of light-matter interactions in 2D materials and related heterostructures.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2018

Shot noise limited nanomechanical detection and radiation pressure backaction from an electron beam

Detecting nanomechanical motion has become an important challenge in Science and Technology. Recently, electromechanical coupling to focused electron beams has emerged as a promising method adapted to ultra-low scale systems. However the fundamental measurement processes associated with such complex interaction remain to be explored. Here we report highly sensitive detection of the Brownian motion of um-long semiconducting nanowires (InAs). The measurement imprecision is found to be set by the shot noise of the secondary electrons generated along the electromechanical interaction. By carefully analysing the nano-electromechanical dynamics, we demonstrate the existence of a radial backaction process which we identify as originating from the momentum exchange between the electron beam and the nanomechanical device, which is also known as radiation pressure.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2015

Nano-optomechanical measurement in the photon counting regime

Optically measuring in the photon counting regime is a recurrent challenge in modern physics and a guarantee to develop weakly invasive probes. Here we investigate this idea on a hybrid nano-optomechanical system composed of a nanowire hybridized to a single Nitrogen-Vacancy (NV) defect. The vibrations of the nanoresonator grant a spatial degree of freedom to the quantum emitter and the photon emission event can now vary in space and time. We investigate how the nanomotion is encoded on the detected photon statistics and explore their spatio-temporal correlation properties. This allows a quantitative measurement of the vibrations of the nanomechanical oscillator at unprecedentedly low light intensities in the photon counting regime when less than one photon is detected per oscillation period, where standard detectors are dark-noise-limited. These results have implications for probing weakly interacting nanoresonators, for low temperature experiments and for investigating single moving markers.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2014

Bidimensional nano-optomechanics and topological backaction in a non-conservative radiation force field

Optomechanics, which explores the fundamental coupling between light and mechanical motion, has made important advances in both exploring and manipulating macroscopic mechanical oscillators down to the quantum level. However, dynamical effects related to the vectorial nature of the optomechanical interaction remain to be investigated. Here we study a nanowire with sub-wavelength dimensions strongly coupled to a tightly focused beam of light, enabling ultrasensitive readout of the nanoresonators dynamics. We experimentally determine the vectorial structure of the optomechanical interaction and demonstrate that bidimensional dynamical backaction governs the nanowire dynamics. Moreover, the non-conservative topology of the optomechanical interaction is responsible for a novel canonical signature of strong coupling between the nanoresonator mechanical modes, leading to a topological instability. These results have a universal character and illustrate the increased sensitivity of nanomechanical devices towards topologically varying interactions, opening fundamental perspectives in nanomechanics, optomechanics, ultrasensitive scanning probe force microscopy and nano-optics.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Synchronizing the dynamics of a single NV spin qubit on a parametrically coupled radio-frequency field through microwave dressing

A hybrid spin-oscillator system in parametric interaction is experimentally emulated using a single NV spin qubit immersed in a radio frequency (RF) field and probed with a quasi resonant microwave (MW) field. We report on the MW mediated locking of the NV spin dynamics onto the RF field, appearing when the MW driven Rabi precession frequency approaches the RF frequency and for sufficiently large RF amplitudes. These signatures are analog to a phononic Mollow triplet in the MW rotating frame for the parametric interaction and promise to have impact in spin-dependent force detection strategies.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2013

Strain-mediated coupling in a quantum dot-mechanical oscillator hybrid system

Recent progress in nanotechnology has allowed to fabricate new hybrid systems where a single two-level system is coupled to a mechanical nanoresonator. In such systems the quantum nature of a macroscopic degree of freedom can be revealed and manipulated. This opens up appealing perspectives for quantum information technologies, and for the exploration of quantum-classical boundary. Here we present the experimental realization of a monolithic solid-state hybrid system governed by material strain: a quantum dot is embedded within a nanowire featuring discrete mechanical resonances corresponding to flexural vibration modes. Mechanical vibrations result in a time-varying strain field that modulates the quantum dot transition energy. This approach simultaneously offers a large light extraction efficiency and a large exciton-phonon coupling strength $g_0$. By means of optical and mechanical spectroscopy, we find that $g_0/2π$ is nearly as large as the mechanical frequency, a criterion which defines the ultra-strong coupling regime.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2012

Stabilization of a linear nanomechanical oscillator to its ultimate thermodynamic limit

The rapid development of micro- and nanooscillators in the past decade has led to the emergence of novel sensors that are opening new frontiers in both applied and fundamental science. The potential of these novel devices is, however, strongly limited by their increased sensitivity to external perturbations. We report a non-invasive optomechanical nano-stabilization technique and apply the method to stabilize a linear nanomechanical beam at its ultimate thermodynamic limit at room temperature. The reported ability to stabilize a mechanical oscillator to the thermodynamic limit can be extended to a variety of systems and increases the sensitivity range of nanosensors in both fundamental and applied studies.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2011

A hybrid on-chip opto-nanomechanical transducer for ultra-sensitive force measurements

Nanomechanical oscillators have been employed as transducers to measure force, mass and charge with high sensitivity. They are also used in opto- or electromechanical experiments with the goal of quantum control and phenomena of mechanical systems. Here, we report the realization and operation of a hybrid monolithically integrated transducer system consisting of a high-$Q$ nanomechanical oscillator with modes in the MHz regime coupled to the near-field of a high-$Q$ optical whispering-gallery-mode microresonator. The transducer system enables a sensitive resolution of the nanomechanical beam's thermal motion with a signal-to-noise of five orders of magnitude and has a force sensitivity of $74\,\rm{aN}\,\rm{Hz}^{-1/2}$ at room temperature. We show, both theoretically and experimentally, that the sensitivity of continuous incoherent force detection improves only with the fourth root of the averaging time. Using dissipative feedback based on radiation pressure enabled control, we explicitly demonstrate by detecting a weak incoherent force that this constraint can be significantly relaxed. We achieve a more than 30-fold reduction in averaging time with our hybrid transducer and are able to detect an incoherent force having a force spectral density as small as $15\,\rm{aN}\,\rm{Hz}^{-1/2}$ within $35\,\rm{s}$ of averaging. This corresponds to a signal which is 25 times smaller than the thermal noise and would otherwise remain out of reach. The reported monolithic platform is an enabling step towards hybrid nanomechanical transducers relying on the light-mechanics interface.

physics.optics↗