Bidirectional and efficient conversion between microwave and optical light

Andrews, Reed W.; Peterson, Richard; Purdy, Thomas; Cicak, Katarina; Simmonds, Raymond W.; Regal, C. A.; Lehnert, K. W.

doi:10.1038/nphys2911

Cited by 809 publications

(786 citation statements)

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“…Over the past few years, several experiments have demonstrated precise control over optical and mechanical states through continuous optomechanical driving, including coherent state transfer [20,35,36] and microwaveto-optics conversion [12,37,38]. Due to the unavailability of the regime of single-photon strong cooperativity, strong drive fields have to be used in order to achieve the wanted coupling strength [39].…”

Section: Mechanical Response To Optical Pulsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-classical correlations between single photons and phonons from a mechanical oscillator

Riedinger

Hong

Norte

et al. 2016

Nature

468

437

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Interfacing a single photon with another quantum system is a key capability in modern quantum information science. It allows quantum states of matter, such as spin states of atoms [1,2], atomic ensembles [3,4] or solids [5], to be prepared and manipulated by photon counting and, in particular, to be distributed over long distances. Such light-matter interfaces have become crucial to fundamental tests of quantum physics [6] and realizations of quantum networks [7]. Here we report non-classical correlations between single photons and phonons -the quanta of mechanical motion -from a nanomechanical resonator. We implement a full quantu protocol involving initialization of the resonator in its quantum ground state of motion and subsequent generation and read-out of correlated photon-phonon pairs. The observed violation of a Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is clear evidence for the non-classical nature of the mechanical state generated. Our results demonstrate the availability of on-chip solid-state mechanical resonators as light-matter quantum interfaces. The performance we achieved will enable studies of macroscopic quantum phenomena [8] as well as applications in quantum communication [9], as quantum memories [10] and as quantum transducers [11,12].Over the past few years, nanomechanical devices have been discussed as possible building blocks for quantum information architectures [9,13]. Their unique feature is that they combine an engineerable solid-state platform on the nanoscale with the possibility to coherently interact with a variety of physical quantum systems including electronic or nuclear spins, single charges, and photons [14,15]. This feature enables mechanics-based hybrid quantum systems that interconnect different, independent physical qubits through mechanical modes.A successful implementation of such quantum transducers requires the ability to create and control quantum states of mechanical motion. The first step -the initialization of micro-and nanomechanical systems in their quantum ground state of motion -has been realized in various mechanical systems either through direct cryogenic cooling [16,17] or laser cooling using microwave [18] and optical cavity fields [19]. Further progress in quantum state control has mainly been limited to the domain of electromechanical devices, in which mechanical motion couples to superconducting circuits in the form of qubits and microwave cavities [15]. Recent achievements include single-phonon control of a micromechanical resonator by a superconducting flux qubit [16], the generation of quantum entanglement between quadratures of a microwave cavity field and micromechanical motion [20], * This work was published in Nature 530, 313-316 (2016 Interfacing mechanics with optical photons in the quantum regime is highly desirable because it adds important features such as the ability to transfer mechanical excitations over long distances [9,24]. In addition, the available toolbox of single-photon generation and detection allows for remote quantum state control [7]. However...

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Section: Mechanical Response To Optical Pulsesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Non-classical correlations between single photons and phonons from a mechanical oscillator

Riedinger

Hong

Norte

et al. 2016

Nature

468

437

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Most recent progress includes the cooling of mechanical oscillators down to the ground state [4][5][6], the readout of the mechanical position with a readout imprecision below the standard quantum limit [7] as well as optomechanical squeezing [8,9] and entanglement [10]. Reciprocally, the mechanical degrees of freedom can be used to control the cavity light, e.g., for fast and slow light [11,12], frequency conversions [13,14], squeezing [15], and information storage in long-lived mechanical oscillations [10,16].Optomechanical systems are also envisioned as test benches for physical theories [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. As a step in this direction, quantum correlations between light and mechanics have been observed recently [10].…”

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confidence: 99%

Proposal for an Optomechanical Bell Test

et al. 2016

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Photons of a laser beam driving the upper motional sideband of an optomechanical cavity can decay into photon-phonon pairs by means of an optomechanical parametric process. The phononic state can subsequently be mapped to a photonic state by exciting the lower sideband, hence creating photon-photon pairs out of an optomechanical system. Here we show that these pairs can violate a Bell inequality when they are measured with photon counting techniques preceded by small displacement operations in phase space. The consequence of such a violation as well as the experimental requirements are intensively discussed. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.070405 Introduction.-Cavity optomechanics, which describes a mechanical oscillator controlled by an electromagnetic cavity mode via a generalized radiation pressure force, is the subject of intense research [1][2][3]. Most recent progress includes the cooling of mechanical oscillators down to the ground state [4][5][6], the readout of the mechanical position with a readout imprecision below the standard quantum limit [7] as well as optomechanical squeezing [8,9] and entanglement [10]. Reciprocally, the mechanical degrees of freedom can be used to control the cavity light, e.g., for fast and slow light [11,12], frequency conversions [13,14], squeezing [15], and information storage in long-lived mechanical oscillations [10,16].Optomechanical systems are also envisioned as test benches for physical theories [17][18][19][20][21][22][23]. As a step in this direction, quantum correlations between light and mechanics have been observed recently [10]. In this experiment, quantum features have been detected through an entanglement witness where one assumes that the measurement devices are well characterized and where quantum theory is used to predict the results of these measurements on separable states. It is interesting to wonder whether the nonclassical behavior of optomechanical systems can be certified outside of the quantum formalism, i.e., from a Bell test [24]. This is particularly relevant to test postquantum theories including explicit collapse models [25][26][27][28], where the assumption that the system behaves quantum mechanically may be questionable [29].In this Letter, we show how to perform such a Bell test in the experimentally relevant weak-optomechanical coupling and sideband-resolved regime. Our proposal, which starts with a mechanical oscillator close to its ground state, consists of two steps. First, the optomechanical system is excited by a laser tuned to the upper motional sideband of the cavity to create photon-phonon pairs via optomechanical parametric conversion. Second, a laser resonant with

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“…A hybrid solution, known as an optomechanical quantum transducer, is emerging 10 . These devices exploit nanomechanical oscillators (such as microscopic vibrating mirrors) to transform optical photons into microwave photons, and vice versa.…”

Section: Quantum Internetmentioning

confidence: 99%