Darmstadt 2008 – wissenschaftliches Programm

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A: Fachverband Atomphysik

A 2: Quantum gases I (jointly with Q)

A 2.1: Hauptvortrag

Montag, 10. März 2008, 14:00–14:30, 1A

Cavity Optomechanics — •Tobias J. Kippenberg — Max Planck Institut fuer Quantenoptik

Achieving the quantum regime with mechanical objects offers fascinating possibilities for applied and fundamental Physics alike but has yet has been unattained so far. Remarkably, research groups working on mechanical systems ranging in size from nanometer-scale oscillators to centimeter-scale optical cavities to kilometer-scale gravity wave detectors are now all independently approaching a regime in which either the mechanical system or its interaction with the environment must be described quantum mechanically. These experiments will mark the beginning of the new research field of cavity Quantum Optomechanics. In this talk I will review our own efforts at the MPQ in this emerging research field; specifically, we have developed a novel laser cooling method (1,2) with which mechanical oscillators can be cooled - analogous to atomic laser cooling - and achieved unprecedented readout of mechanical motion. This technique provides a route towards ground state cooling of a mechanical oscillator. The mechanical oscillators in our work are provided by monolithic micro-cavities, which inherently combine mechanical and optical degree of freedom. I will describe the various efforts my group made towards achieving this interesting, yet highly challenging regime including the mechanical analog of Resolved Sideband Cooling.
References:
(1) A. Schließer et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 97, 243905 (2006)
(2) I. Wilson-Rae et al. Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 093901 (2007)