Hannover 2013 – scientific programme
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 1: Micromechanical oscillators I
Q 1.3: Talk
Monday, March 18, 2013, 11:30–11:45, F 142
Cryogenic cooling of a Michelson-Sagnac Interferometer — •Ramon Moghadas Nia, Henning Kaufer, Andreas Sawadsky, and Roman Schnabel — Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Leibniz Universität Hannover and Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik (Albert-Einstein-Institut), Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany
Opto-mechanical experiments recently reached regimes in which direct observation of the quantum behaviour of mechanical oscillators is possible. The Michelson-Sagnac topology has turned out to be an excellent tool for measuring the displacement of a high optical and mechanical quality silicon nitride (SiN) membrane. It has been shown that this setup can provide a high interference contrast and therefore is compatible with recycling techniques, such as signal recycling. Because of thermal noise, however, the observation of the quantum back-action noise is possible only when operating the system at cryogenic temperatures. Here we present a new, cryogenic cooled Michelson-Sagnac interferometer operated at 8 Kelvin. The SiN membrane showed a high mechanical Q-factor of about 107. Our setup is expected to enable the direct observation of anticipated effects like radiation pressure noise and ponderomotive squeezing.