Enabling waveguide-cavity scattering for microwave-to-optical transduction

• Grant number: 23/00058-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate (Direct)
• Start date: May 01, 2023
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Thiago Pedro Mayer Alegre
• Grantee: André Garcia Primo
• Supervisor: Amir Safavi-Naeini
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física Gleb Wataghin (IFGW). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: Stanford University, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 19/09738-9 - Near strong coupling optomechanical cavities, BP.DD

Abstract

The coherent transduction of information between microwave and optical domains is a fundamental building block for future quantum networks. A promising way to bridge these widely different frequencies is using high-frequency nanomechanical resonators interacting with low-loss optical modes. Current experiments require a relatively large photon population in the cavity to enhance the acousto-optic coupling, hindering the efficient quantum operation of devices due to the heat generated from optical absorption. One of the ways to mitigate this problem is by using dissipative optomechanics. In this framework, photons can be scattered directly from a waveguide into a resonator, reducing the necessity of large in-cavity fields. Here, we propose a novel method to engineer a dissipative optomechanical system to greatly suppress the intracavity field, while still benefiting from mechanical scattering. (AU)