Detection of weak forces based on noise-activated switching in bistable optomechanical systems

Aldana, Samuel; Bruder, Christoph; Nunnenkamp, Andreas

doi:10.1103/physreva.90.063810

Cited by 19 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This could be implemented by electrically coupling a charged particle 29 to an external field 12 or via scattering force from a weakly focused beam and is the subject of future work. The unprecedented performances demonstrated could enable the realization of novel ultra-sensitive threshold sensors, capable of detecting tiny perturbations via a state change in the system, or other detection schemes based on nonlinear nanomechanical resonators 3 4 . Likewise, a high-Q parametrically driven Duffing resonator could boost the state-of-the-art in nanomechanical memory elements 30 31 introducing additional bits by simultaneous manipulation of the orthogonal oscillation modes 32 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To overcome this limitation, modern nanotechnology requires new sensing schemes that take nonlinearities into account and even benefit from them 2 . Many of the proposed solutions operate inside an instability region 3 4 or close to a bifurcation point 5 6 , where the system ideally becomes infinitely sensitive. Others exploit fluctuations of noisy environments to trigger stochastic resonances 7 that amplify weak harmonic signals 8 9 10 .…”

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confidence: 99%

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Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics

et al. 2017

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Nano-mechanical resonators have gained an increasing importance in nanotechnology owing to their contributions to both fundamental and applied science. Yet, their small dimensions and mass raises some challenges as their dynamics gets dominated by nonlinearities that degrade their performance, for instance in sensing applications. Here, we report on the precise control of the nonlinear and stochastic bistable dynamics of a levitated nanoparticle in high vacuum. We demonstrate how it can lead to efficient signal amplification schemes, including stochastic resonance. This work contributes to showing the use of levitated nanoparticles as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics, with applications to a wide variety of fields.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics

et al. 2017

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“…Such conditional duality is manifested by a nonlinear bistability of the Rydberg population rr , the mirror displacement x , and the number of cavity photons n due to the efficient feedback between optomechanical and atom-light interactions. It is worth stressing that we can switch between two distinct states of conditional duality and nonlinear bistability [48] by modulating the driving field strength β, the cold atom number n sa , and the cavity field detuning 0 . This nontrivial ability may be exploited for accurately detecting tiny mechanical motions of nano-oscillators by counting single photons emitted from a Rydberg excitation, or conversely attaining deterministic single photons by generating exclusive Rydberg excitations of a mesoscopic SA.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Duality and bistability in an optomechanical cavity coupled to a Rydberg superatom

et al. 2015

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We study the steady-state behaviors of a typical optomechanical cavity coupled to cold Rydberg atoms with dipole-dipole interactions. The interacting atoms are described as one superatom of three collective states in a ladder configuration in the limit of a strong dipole blockade and a weak cavity field. We find that this hybrid system exhibits phenomena of conditional duality and nonlinear bistability in terms of mirror displacement, number of cavity photons, and Rydberg population, depending on the detuning of the cavity field, the strength of the optical driving field, and the number of cold atoms. It is of particular interest that the two branches of relevant curves may intersect to yield a nontrivial duality and bistability. Such correlated optical, mechanical, and atomic responses arise from the efficient feedback between atom-light and optomechanical interactions and have realistic applications, e.g., in realizing accurate optomechanical detection or attaining deterministic single photons.

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“…This heightened sensitivity persists until the oscillator switches over to the classical limit at Ω (γ + 1 γ 2 ) 1/2 . Such a behavior is reminiscent of sensing protocols based on switching in optically bistable systems [33]. In addition to the "signal" â , the efficiency of quantum sensors is also limited by the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) [34].…”

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confidence: 99%

Critical Response of a Quantum van der Pol Oscillator

Dutta

Cooper

2019

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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Classical nonequilibrium systems close to a dynamical critical point are known to exhibit a strongly nonlinear response, resulting in very high sensitivity to weak external perturbations. This attribute is key to the operation of important biological sensors. Here, we explore such systems in the quantum regime by modeling a driven van der Pol oscillator with a master equation approach. We find the classical response survives well into the quantum regime of low system energy. At very weak drives, genuine quantum features arise, including a diverging linear susceptibility and negative susceptibility. Further, deep in the limit cycle phase, the linear response is only limited by the weak two-particle decay, yielding a greatly enhanced sensitivity over a passive system. These generic results can be probed in current experimental setups and could have important applications in quantum sensing.A key insight from the theory of phase transitions is that systems close to a critical point are highly sensitive to perturbations [1]. This is evident, for example, in a diverging compressibility near a liquid-gas phase transition. Such divergences in susceptibility also occur in classical dynamical systems close to a bifurcation [2]. A particularly important prototype is an oscillator with nonlinear damping, which can transition from a dormant to a limitcycle phase across a Hopf bifurcation [3]. Generically, the response of such a van der Pol (vdP) oscillator [4] to a resonant drive Ω grows as Ω 1/3 at the critical point [5]. This nonlinearity is what enables the ear and other biological sensors to detect very weak stimuli and maximally process environmental inputs [5][6][7][8][9].In this paper, we ask if this increased sensitivity persists into the quantum regime and whether it could be useful for quantum sensing. At the semiclassical level, the vdP oscillator shows up in the physics of lasers [10,11]. Recent theoretical studies have examined a quantum vdP oscillator in the context of synchronization [12][13][14][15][16][17]. However, its critical properties and response characteristics are as yet unexplored. Besides technological applications, understanding the dynamics of such an oscillator is also of fundamental interest, as it represents an intrinsically nonequilibrium open system [18] which can be probed in state-of-the-art experimental setups [19][20][21][22].We model a driven quantum vdP oscillator by a master equation, finding a feature-rich response. In particular, the classical response survives down to one quantum of excitation. At very weak drives, we find both divergent and negative susceptibilities which arise from competing energy scales. Further, in the limit-cycle phase, the susceptibility is only limited by two-particle decay, providing a strong enhancement over a passive system. After briefly reviewing the iconic classical vdP oscillator, we present results for the quantum response, concluding with a discussion of possible experimental realizations. The classical vdP model describes a harmonic oscillator wit...

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Detection of weak forces based on noise-activated switching in bistable optomechanical systems

Cited by 19 publications

References 47 publications

Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics

Optically levitated nanoparticle as a model system for stochastic bistable dynamics

Duality and bistability in an optomechanical cavity coupled to a Rydberg superatom

Critical Response of a Quantum van der Pol Oscillator

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