Hannover 2010 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 21: Poster I
Q 21.92: Poster
Tuesday, March 9, 2010, 16:00–19:00, Lichthof
Injection locking of a phonon laser — •Sebastian Knünz1, Maximilian Herrmann1, Valentin Batteiger1, Guido Saathoff1, Theodor W. Hänsch1, Kerry Vahala2, and Thomas Udem1 — 1MPQ, Garching, Germany — 2Caltech, Pasadena, USA
A single trapped ion, addressed by a red-detuned cooling laser and simultaneously illuminated by a blue-detuned pump laser can exhibit oscillatory motion with a well defined threshold. We have shown that this is the result of stimulated emission of center-of-mass phonons, providing saturable amplification of the motion. This constitutes the mechanical analogue of a laser [1]. Additionally we report on a first application of our phonon laser which further substantiates the analogy to an optical laser: we lock the phonon laser to an external rf signal, an effect widely known as injection locking. Using phase sensitive stroboscopic imaging and a spatially selective Fourier transform technique to generate motional spectra we find excellent agreement with injection locking theory in and outside the locking range. Since the forces which evoke this effect are in the order of 10−21 N this system appears to be promising for ultra-sensitive force detection. [1] K. Vahala et al., Nature Physics 5, 682 (2009).